Whatever It Is
by Lost Dreamer83
Summary: Fighting attraction is never easy, but it's even harder when the man you're attracted to works with you practically everyday. FlackOC
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! Is twenty-four hours a quick enough turn around to posting a new story? Hopefully those that have read my other stories have decided to check this one out and if you haven't read my stuff before, welcome! Obviously, this is another FlackOC story. I hope you all like it, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 1

After six months with the NYPD, Detective Jolene James had settled in nicely. Thankfully, she had made quick friends of her co-workers; however, her relationship with fellow scientist/detective Lindsey Monroe was a little closer than the others. They both were country girls, Lindsey from a ranch in Montana and Jolene from a family of peanut farmers in Georgia. Jolene's soft southern twang made her the more obvious import, but the two young women got along amazingly well. It was a rare night when the two of them actually finished work at the same time; so, the two women found themselves at Sullivan's dinks in hand as they sat in the bar and talked about life rather than the newest case.

"So, what's going on with you and Danny?" Jolene asked, making Lindsey choke a bit on her beer as she took a drink.

"What?" the light brown haired woman asked as she turned her brown eyes to Jolene's blue and the darker haired woman smiled.

"He flies off to Montana two weeks ago to be with you while you testify, and I'm left to wonder what exactly is going on," Jolene said before she took a long drink of the dark beer she had come to love after being introduced to it by another co-worker.

"Nothing is going on," Lindsey said, clearly lying since she was looking at everything but Jolene.

"Honey, you don't have to lie to me," Jolene said and Lindsey finally looked at her. "As odd of a pairing you two make, you're good together." Lindsey laughed while Jolene took another drink of her beer.

"What does that mean?" she asked and Jolene shrugged as she lowered her glass from her lips and smiled.

"I really don't know," she admitted, which made Lindsey laugh again as she shook her head.

"There's something there, but I don't know where it's going to go yet," Lindsey said and Jolene's smile only grew.

"Care to make a wager?" Jolene asked and Lindsey furrowed her brow as she looked at Jolene.

"On what?"

"On the future of your and Danny's relationship," Jolene said simply and Lindsey's eyebrows nearly rose to her hairline. "I bet you a hundred dollars that within four years ya'll will be happily married with at least one child," Jolene continued and Lindsey laughed so hard her face was read, but Jolene simply continued to smile as she let Lindsey laugh. "I'll have you know I'm very good a predicting relationships," she said when Lindsey finally stopped laughing.

"Oh really?" Lindsey asked and Jolene nodded taking another drink from her glass. "How so?"

"When my sister started dating her now husband, I told her that within seven months he was going to ask her to marry him. She thought I was crazy, but sure enough five months in and on Thanksgiving when our whole family was there, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him."

"That was a lucky guess," Lindsey said and Jolene shook her head.

"It's a gift," Jolene said as she tapped her right temple and Lindsey scoffed.

"You should look into matchmaking then," Lindsey said through a teasing grin, which made Jolene laugh quietly.

"My Gran was a matchmaker of sorts," Jolene said and once again Lindsey raised her eyebrows. "She said I had her eye when I was ten and helped me 'hone' my abilities. Sadly, I'm always wrong when it comes to predicting my own relationships." Jolene's perturbed face made Lindsey laugh and Jolene smiled at her friend.

"So, you can tell that a guy is going to propose to a girl within a certain time frame after their first date, but you can't tell when a guy is interested in you?" Lindsey asked.

"Oh, I can tell when they're interested. I'm not completely naïve, but when I think they're going to last they fizzle quicker than a sparkler on the Fourth of July." The two women shared another laugh before Jolene ordered another round. They both started shift at nine-thirty the following morning, and it was nearly midnight but neither woman really cared. They deserved to have a little fun.

* * *

"Flack," Jolene greeted the detective as she walked under the crime tape and onto the scene she had been called out to the following morning and pushed her sunglasses up into her long dark hair that she had kept down that morning. She narrowed her eyes as the sunlight made her head throb slightly and she cursed herself for drinking a little too much the night before. Don Flack looked at Jolene with a grin as he excused himself from the uniform he was talking to and walked along with her towards the body that Stella was already starting to process.

"Why do you look like you had a little too much fun last night?" Don asked her quietly and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Probably because my body is making me pay for the six beers and two whiskey shots I consumed last night," she said just as quietly and Don laughed as they drew nearer the scene. "What do we got?"

"Male vic, no ID, looks like a gunshot wound to the chest and possible robbery," he said. "Damien Marcos found him when he was taking out his trash this morning around ten."

"Perfect," she said quietly be before she greeted Stella Bonasera with a smile as the slightly older woman looked up at them.

"Hey Jo," Stella said, calling Jolene by her nickname that she instructed everyone to call her by. Only her mother really called her Jolene. "I'm just about done with the body, if you wouldn't mind taking the perimeter."

"When you say 'perimeter' does that include the oh so sanitary looking dumpsters behind you?" Jolene asked although she already knew the answer. Stella sent her a grin, which made Jolene sigh and Don chuckle. "Okay," she breathed. "I'll check the alley first before I suit up for my dumpster excursions."

* * *

Three hours later Jolene was suited up in a NYPD crime lab jumpsuit sorting through the second of the trash filled dumpsters for anything that could have possibly been linked to their victim. Blowing the dark strands of hair that escaped from her half-hazardly thrown up bun from her face, she spotted a brown paper bag. She carefully picked up the bag with her gloved hands and opened it. Her dark blue eyes widened and she smiled when she saw a wallet, watch, and a gold ring inside the paper bag. Looking up she found that she was alone in the alley save for the two uniforms posted at the end to keep the public out of their crime scene.

Stella had gone to the lab with the body and the rest of the evidence she and Jolene had gathered before Jolene made her dumpster dive. Don was probably somewhere close finishing up his canvas of the block to see if anyone recognized the victim from the photo he took with his phone of the man's face, so, she was basically on her own in trying to escape the dumpster's confines. It wouldn't be easy given she was vertically challenged at five foot three inches. With evidence in hand she carefully climbed out of the dumpster only to land very ungracefully onto the pavement when her footing slipped on the outside of the dumpster. Thankfully, she kept the evidence high as she fell on her back and backside so it didn't get contaminated by her fall.

"Ow," she groaned before she heard a slightly worried shout.

"Jo!" It was Don and she heard him running, so, she didn't hurry to get up figuring he could help her. "What happened? You okay?" he asked quickly as he helped her sit up and she laughed, mildly embarrassed because of the situation.

"I'm fine, I just lost my footing when I was climbing out," she said, a light blush to her pale cheeks. "I think I'm going to have a beautiful bruise on my ass by the end of the day," she added, which made Don laugh as he helped her from the ground by grasping her wrists and pulling her up. "I think I might have an ID for our vic."

"You're kidding me?" Don asked as he looked at the paper sack in her hands and she shook her head. "It can't be that easy," he said and she shrugged as she started to log everything. She carefully pulled out the wallet and opened it only to find the face of their vic staring back at her from the photo of his New Jersey driver's license.

"Henry Donaldson, he's from New Jersey. Cash and credit cards were untouched, so, we can rule out robbery," she said and Don took out his notepad to right down the victim's information after he asked Jolene for it. She closed the wallet and bagged it before she pulled out the other items. "I think whoever killed Mr. Donaldson tossed his things in the dumpster to make it look like a robbery," she mused before she bagged them and the paper bag. "You heading back to the lab?" she asked when she was done and looked up at Don.

"Yeah, I was coming to see if you were finished and if you wanted a lift since Stella took your ride," he said and she nodded.

"I'm done for now," she said. "I've got to call for a flatbed to bring in the dumpster. If our killer didn't leave any prints on the wallet, he might have left them on the dumpster because this was pretty much on the floor of it and it was nearly full."

"I'll call for it," Don said as he took out his phone. "You finish packing up and you're takin' that off before you get in my car," he continued as he pressed the phone to his ear and gestured to her suit that was stained with various liquids and questionable solids from the dumpster with his free hand.

"Without dinner first? You flatter yourself, Flack," she said as she stood with a grin and pulled off her gloves. Don smiled and gave her a wink before he turned away to order the flatbed, however, his slight blush didn't go unnoticed by the smiling CSI as she packed up her things.

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The large punching bag in the weight room of the 24 hour gym down the block from Jolene's apartment was getting the brunt of her anger and frustration. She was wailing at it so hard that she was pretty sure she scared away several of the men that had came in to use the weights. With a final right hook to the bag, she let out a frustrated growl and rested her wrapped knuckles against it before she rested her head against it, breathing heavily, and dripping with sweat.

"I really don't want to know what that bag did to you to piss you off do I?" came a familiar voice from behind her and she sighed as she lifted her head to look over her shoulder. Still dressed in his suit slacks, button up, and suit coat, but sans tie, stood the last man she ever expected to see at her gym.

"Don," she breathed before she stood straight and turned to face him. She looked a mess in the dark red sports top and black yoga pants she had pulled on before throwing on her jacket and storming out of her apartment and down the street to the gym. Her long hair was messily up and strands were sticking to her sweat soaked skin, not exactly the image she wanted him to have of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Lindsey told me where I could probably find you," he said. She knew that meant he wanted to check up on her after she stormed out of interrogation when he arrested Donaldson's murderer. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just peachy," she said dryly before she started to unwrap her hands and turned away from him. After the interrogation and confession of their suspect in the Donaldson case, she couldn't get her head around it and needed to take her anger out the most constructive way she knew how.

"Jo," he started and she sighed.

"Fine, I'm not okay," she said as she tossed her wrappings onto the chair that held her towel, jacket, and the bottle of water she bought. "How could a woman kill her father for no reason other than he didn't like the man she was living with and came to talk to her about him? What kind of crazy is that?"

"Coming from Atlanta, I thought you'd be used to crazy," he said and she gave off a bitter laugh.

"Yeah, but I still don't understand it," she said as she wiped at her forehead and smoothed her hand over her hair.

"Sometimes, we're never meant to," he said and she nodded before she turned and grabbed her towel wiping away the sweat from her face and neck. "Want to grab a drink?"

"Looking like this?" she asked and he laughed.

"I know you don't live far," he said. "I'll walk you and wait." Jolene smiled as he looked at her with that dimpled grin. He was so hard to resist with that grin, and she had a feeling that he knew that all too well. Jolene couldn't deny the fact that she was highly attracted to him, but she had dated a co-worker once before and when the relationship ended their professional relationship suffered for it.

"One drink," she said. "I don't want another hangover." He laughed again while she turned, grabbed her jacket, wrappings, and her water bottle. She put her towel on her shoulder and her jacket on her bent left arm and started to walk out of the gym.

"You're not going to put your jacket on?" he asked and Jolene shook her head before she took a deep drink of her water.

"I'm sweating bullets, Flack," she said as the left the gym and she signed in contentment as the evening air cooled off her heated body. "By the time I feel the chill, we'll already be inside my building." They started walking down the street and Don smiled as he followed her for a brief moment before he fell in line next to her. "So, _how_ do you know where I live? I don't think you've ever been over. In fact, I know that only Lindsey and Stella have been over."

"I'm a cop," he said. "I have my sources." Jolene laughed loudly, which made Don smile. She had a deep laugh that made a smile come to anyone's face that was within hearing vicinity and as he expected the people that passed them smiled as they glanced at her and continued on their way.

"So am I, but I don't go pulling up your information," she said and Don grinned. "I'll forgive you, if you throw in a burger and fries to go with that drink."

"You're going to throw away all that hard work tonight with a burger and fries?" he asked as they waited at the crosswalk, her building resting just on the other side of the street.

"I really don't care right now," she said and he raised his eyebrows. Most women he knew were a little more conscious about their weight, and he had to admit the fact that it was Jolene that was saying it surprised him. The woman may not have been extremely thin, but she was mostly muscle and rather petite. "I've got a pretty good metabolism, and it's been a long day. Plus, I'm starving," she added and the crosswalk light changed. The pair started to cross the street.

"You got a deal," he said. "I know a place not far, just around the corner; greasy bar food with a pretty good tap selection."

"Sounds good," she said as she pulled her keys from the pocket of her jacket. She trusted Don, so, she knew she could shower with him in her apartment and not worry about anything. She guided him upstairs to her fourth floor apartment and she heard him sigh as they started up the last flight of stairs.

"You don't have an elevator in this place?" he asked and she grinned as she looked over her shoulder and at him as he trudged up behind her.

"It's only six stories high, Don, and it's a renovated building," she said as she turned her eyes ahead and started towards her door. "I'll let them know they should have put an elevator in."

"You do that," Don huffed behind her and she rolled her eyes with a grin as she unlocked her door and guided him inside.

"You run up and down stairs all the time," she said. "It's not like you're _that_ out of shape," she continued teasing him and he grinned as he looked at her after she turned on the light.

"How would you know?" he asked and she raised an eyebrow. "Have you been checking me out, Jo?" he asked and for the first time since he met her, he saw a faint pink appear on her cheeks and he found himself smiling.

"Like I said earlier," she said before she stepped closer to him and he turned his head down so he was looking into her dark blue eyes. "You flatter yourself," she whispered before turning away from him and walking down the short hall to what he assumed was her bedroom. "Make yourself at home. I shouldn't be more than an hour," she said, not looking at him and Don smiled before he chuckled and shook his head. It was definitely going to be an interesting evening.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to all of you that read, reviewed, and/or added this story to your favorites/alerts. I had this chapter half finished when I posted the first chapter this morning, but don't expect the third installment until the weekend because I'll be working a lot this week. However, I will do my very best to update as soon as possible. I hope you like this chapter and as always, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 2

Don was sitting on the sofa in Jolene's living room mindlessly watching the TV as he waited for her to shower and get ready to head out. He was still trying to figure Jolene out, but he already considered her a good friend. The case today had been tough on her for some reason, but he had a feeling it was because she was really close with her father and couldn't imagine ever wanting to hurt him. Don was certain of one thing and that was that he was attracted to Jolene on a level that wasn't at all professional. However, he knew that he probably shouldn't act on his feelings, because if it didn't work out, he'd lose a friend and probably make things awkward at work. Sighing, he stood and walked over to the loaded down bookcase that also housed several picture frames at eyelevel.

He smiled at Jolene's bright smile as her arms were thrown around a woman who looked a great deal like her only slightly older. He assumed that was her sister, Jessa, who she talked about all the time. The photo next to it was of her and a man dressed in a marine's uniform. He was holding her bridal style with her left arm around his shoulders and her right extended in the air along with her right leg. An open mouth smile was on her face while the man's face was red from laughter as he smiled for the camera. It was obviously a spur of the moment photo but he didn't remember Jolene ever mentioning knowing someone who was in the military. It was then that he noticed a silver and gold cross on a small chain resting over the corner of the picture frame with the initials 'J.R.J' inscribed on it.

Slowly, he looked away from the photo of her and the man and the third photo that he assumed were her parents. The woman looked a lot like Jolene, so, it was obvious that she was her mother and the older man had Jolene's dark blue eyes. By default he assumed he was her father. They looked like a good couple and obviously hard working if their weathered faces were an indication of their days spent outside. The fourth and final photo was of Jessa and a man and little boy he figured was Jessa's husband and son that Jolene had mentioned off handedly one day when she was telling him about her family. They looked like good people, and to have a raised a girl like Jolene they obviously had to be. Taking a deep breath, he looked away from the photos and stretched his neck before he glanced at his watch.

She had told him that she wouldn't be more than hour, however, it was drawing closer to the hour and a half mark and he was starting to wonder if he should call in for reinforcements. "Sorry, it took me a little longer than I thought," came Jolene's voice and he glanced up briefly before looking back down only to stop his head from looking down and his light eyes focused on her. "What?" she asked with a nervous smile, but he just shook his head.

"Nothing," he said and she laughed as she adjusted her belt and turned around to go to the coat closet. Don had seen many women in various stages of dress in his lifetime, but he really couldn't explain what it was that made his mouth go dry at seeing Jolene in a pair of dark boot cut jeans, a rather fitted v-neck black t-shirt, and her long dark hair pulled back by a clip and hanging messily but nicely on the back of her head. The worn out cowboy boots were a nice touch and he wasn't expecting the leather jacket she pulled on. However, he should have known to expect the unexpected when it came to Jolene.

"You ready?" she asked and he nodded his head before he turned off the TV and joined her at the door of her apartment.

"You wear that everywhere?" he asked as they left her apartment and she locked the door. Frowning she looked up at him and he pointed to her waist. She looked down and smiled at her badge that was visible thanks to the movement of her shirt and jacket. She shrugged as she turned away from the door and looked at him.

"You're wearing yours," she said and he laughed.

"I just came from work, you've been off for hours and didn't have that on a minute ago," he said as they started downstairs.

"Fine, I wear it just about everywhere," she said with a laugh and Don smiled. Jolene knew she should be thankful for Don coming to check on her. She would have been in a dark mood all night and probably crabby in the morning, but thanks to him her dark mood was gone from her mind.

During their walk to the bar, their bantering continued and by the time they reached the bar Jolene had struck a nerve and Don's face was red. "How could you possibly think that the _Islanders_ are a better team than the Rangers?" he demanded as they stopped outside the dimly lit bar and a few passer bys glanced their way as they walked. She was having a hard time holding back her smile, but managed while Don ranted about how she was 'crazy' for even thinking that. He started going through the players, and Jolene couldn't take it anymore. She raised her right hand to his mouth and covered it mid rant as her laughter erupted. She could feel his scowl under her hand and looked up at his face to see his eyes narrowed at her.

"Don," she breathed after calming her laughter. "I _don't_ think the Islanders are a better team," she said before she lowered her hand from his face. "I just said that to ruffle your feathers. I don't even care for hockey." He rolled his eyes and started to say something else but Jolene just walked into the bar, leaving him mildly confused before he soon followed her.

"That wasn't very nice," he said as he caught up with her at the wide bar and as she shrugged her jacket off.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she said as she put her jacket on the back of the bar chair and literally hopped up into the seat before she tugged her shirt down so that it covered up her badge. "How about I buy you that beer and you buy me my burger and fries? That way we both make up for our wrong doings?" she asked and he smiled as he sank down into the seat next to her.

"All right, sounds fair," he said as the bartender walked over. They placed their orders the older man smiled and nodded as he looked between the pair and then turned away. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but you can ask me something else," she said as the bartender put the two glasses of the dark Guinness Jolene ordered and Don grinned as she took a sip of her drink.

"Who do you know that's in the military?" he asked and she frowned. "I saw the photo on your bookshelf."

"My younger brother Jonathan," she said. "He's serving in Afghanistan right now."

"You don't talk about him that much," he said and she sighed as she looked away from him and ran her finger along the rim of her glass.

"Whenever I talk about him, I worry," she admitted. "It's not exactly the safest place for him to be, in the middle of a war, and when I talk about him my worry only grows." Don nodded in understanding while she lowered her hand to the bar. "We e-mail each other and he managed to call me on my birthday just before I moved here. He's twenty-four but you'd think he was fifty the way he talks sometimes."

"He's doing okay?" he asked and she shrugged.

"Now he is," she said. "This is his third tour in the last four years. He was getting out last year to go to college, but he was stop-lossed and ended up going back." Don shook his head, but she smiled at him. "Could we talk about something else? How about the fact that I do indeed have a very large bruise on my ass that is killing me right now?" Don laughed and Jolene joined him as the bartender put the two baskets of their burgers and fries in front of them along with a bottle of ketchup. "Could I get some mustard?" Jolene asked quickly before the man walked away and he put a yellow bottle on the bar. "Thanks," she said before she shook the bottle and popped the lid before squirting the golden liquid onto her fries.

"Seriously?" Don asked her and Jolene laughed at his perplexed look and shrugged.

"I like mustard on my fries," she said. "Is that a sin here in New York?" Don chuckled and shook his head.

"No, but you're the first person I ever met that does that," he said and she smiled before she picked up a fry that was slathered with mustard and held it out to him.

"Try it," she said and he looked at the fry before looking back at her. "Come on, don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," he said with serious eyes and she challenged him with a look of her own. He rolled his eyes before he leaned in and took a bite of the fry held out to him. She smiled at him and waited for his reaction and he grinned. "Okay, it's not bad," he admitted and she smiled before she popped the half of the fry he hadn't eaten into her mouth and chewed happily before turning her attention to her hamburger putting both ketchup and mustard on the lettuce, tomato, and onion covered burger. Yet again that night Don found himself even more attracted to her and he wasn't exactly sure why.

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"What time are you on tomorrow?" Don asked as they sat at the bar two hours later nursing their second round of beers with their stomachs full on the burgers and fries they ordered.

"Not until one," Jolene said. "You?"

"It's one of those rare off days for me tomorrow," he said and Jolene smirked.

"Lucky bastard," she said and Don chuckled. "I'm not off for six more days _and _I'm running out of clean clothes."

"I'm doing a few loads tomorrow," Don said. "I could do a few for you," he suggested and Jolene raised a dark eyebrow.

"You think I'm going to let you sort through my unmentionables, Flack?" she asked and he shrugged with his dimpled grin in place once more.

"Worth a try, isn't he?" he asked and she laughed before she looked at her watch.

"I should probably head home," she said. "Sleep is sadly needed tonight." Don smiled and nodded before he finished off his beer.

"I'll walk you home," he said as they both stood and Jolene pulled her jacket on. Their tab was already paid and the duo made their way onto the street. They walked in silence until they turned the corner and headed towards Jolene's building.

"Thanks for tonight, Don," she said and he looked down at her. "I probably would have been a bear tomorrow if you wouldn't have showed up."

"You don't need to thank me. Sometimes I let how I feel about something get to me too, Jo," he said. "We're human. It happens. I'm just glad I was able to get you to smile." They stopped at the stoop of her building.

"So my thanks are warranted," she said. As she looked up at him, biting her lower lip, the street light behind him lit her face perfectly. It was very tempting to kiss her right then, and he gave in only a little by leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek. Her soft perfume washed over him and he felt his heart rate increase as he pulled away. Her startled expression made him smile, but a soft smile slowly spread across her lips. "Good night, Don," she whispered.

"Good night, Jo," he whispered back and she turned away from him and quickly rushed up the stairs and pulled out her keys. He waited until she was safely in the building before he started back down the street to get to a main road to hail a cab. He could drive after only a couple of beers, but he didn't quite trust himself. He felt drunk for completely different reasons than the alcohol in his system.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello everyone! Thanks for your reviews and for adding my story to your alerts/favorites. There's a little dialouge from episode 3:20 but nothing crazy. I hope you like this chapter and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI:NY.

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Chapter 3

For two weeks after the impromptu dinner, both Jolene and Don didn't bring up the parting kiss he had placed on her cheek. Jolene didn't let the surprise show of affection change anything in their relationship. Besides, it wasn't like he had pushed her up against the brick wall of the building and kissed her senseless. They were two grown adults and they were friends. So, Jolene had chocked the whole tingling knots that filled her stomach as his lips brushed against her skin to the buzz from the beers and good company.

Jolene had just come up from autopsy with Sid's initial report in her right hand and stomach contents in her gloved left hand. Her eyes were reading over the ME's notes and she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and ran into Stella's side as she stood and talked with Mac outside his office. "Whoa, sorry!" Jolene exclaimed with a nervous laugh and Stella smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine," Stella said before she grimaced at the container in Jolene's left hand.

"It didn't spill, I promise," Jolene assured her with a grin and Stella smiled.

"Is that the autopsy report on your vic?" Mac asked and Jolene nodded as she handed him the Sid's report on his findings so far. Randy Williams hadn't told him much, but she was working with what she got.

"Sid said other than the fact that he was dead, he was in good health for a forty-two year old man," Jolene said as Mac glanced up at her from the pages of the report. "There was minor burning in his mouth and along the lining of his esophagus and stomach, which is why I have Randy Williams' stomach contents in my hand. Sid already sent a few blood samples up to tox for them to run and see if anything comes up."

"Good," Mac said before he closed the file and handed it back to her. "Enjoying working your first case on your own?" Jolene smiled and nodded her head. It really wasn't the _very_ first case Jolene had worked on her own, but it was the first one since joining the New York team and she was honored that Mac trusted her so much already. Detective Jessica Angell was the homicide detective assigned with her to the Williams case and the two were getting along fairly well.

"I am, and it's already starting to get interesting," she said. "If you'll excuse me, I've got a date with the swirling contents of this evidence jar." With that the petite brunette walked around her boss and superior before making her way into tox.

"She's settled in quicker than Lindsey did, and I honestly didn't think that was possible," Stella said as she turned to look at Mac. Mac grinned and nodded his head.

"She's a good fit," he said before the two of them made their way down to autopsy to get their own report from Sid.

* * *

As the day turned into night, Jolene found herself sitting in the office she shared with Danny and Sheldon writing up her report. Her first solo case in New York City hadn't gotten as interesting as she had hoped. Randy Williams had been killed by poison, but she hadn't expecting drain cleaner. Detective Angell's thought had been that Williams killed himself, but if he had drank drain cleaner to kill himself why would he have drank it and then headed off to work?

As it turned out, he had drunk drain cleaner only it was with his morning coffee put there by his pissed off housekeeper. Apparently, he was threatening to fire her and she tried to find a way to prove that she was invaluable. The young woman cried the whole time she confessed saying she had only put enough in his coffee to make him sick; and Jolene had agreed with her. Williams would have only gotten sick if it wasn't for the undiagnosed intestinal ulcer that sent the poisonous liquid straight into his blood stream and to his heart killing him as he walked into his office building. Sid found the broken ulcer his second time around on the autopsy table.

"So, how was the first solo?" came a familiar voice and Jolene smiled as she looked up at the light brown haired man that stood at the edge of her desk, muscular arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face.

"Not as exciting as I hoped, Messer," she said with a light laugh and Danny uncrossed him arms before he sank into his desk just opposite Jolene's. "It was the maid, in the kitchen, with drain cleaner."

"That wasn't interesting?" he asked with raised eyebrows and Jolene shrugged while he laughed. "So, you up for a round at Sully's with the rest of us?" he asked and Jolene sighed.

"I would, but I am exhausted," she said and Danny gave her a half smile finally able to use some information he had just learned to his advantage.

"I heard through the grapevine that you and Flack have been getting a little cozy the last couple of weeks," Danny said. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Jolene rolled her eyes and closed the file in front of her seeing as she was finished with her report. She tossed the tan folder into her outbox and leaned back in her chair.

"No, there's nothing I want to tell you. Yes, Don and I have been hanging out lately, but that's because Lindsey's been on different shifts than me lately. We are just friends." Danny's grin remained and he held back his chuckle. Up until two weeks ago, Jolene only ever referred to Don by his last name.

"Ya sure about that?" he asked and Jolene rolled her eyes yet again.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said. "He's a good guy, _and_ he doesn't make fun of my drawl like _some_ people I now." Danny grinned while Jolene smiled. "Just so you know your accent isn't any better."

"Yeah, well, all I gotta do is take a ferry over to Staten Island and just about everybody talks like me. You've gotta take a plane and fly for four hours before you can say that."

"Whatever, Messer," she said before she looked at her watch strapped to her right wrist with a sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she lowered her arm and stood from her chair. "My bed is calling my name." She grabbed her light jacket from the back of her chair and slid the dark blue material over her cream blouse. It may have been mid April but the weather hadn't quite warmed up yet in the city and probably wouldn't for the next few weeks.

"You want me to walk ya?" he asked and Jolene shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Don't you have somewhere to be anyway?" He nodded and stood.

"I should have left already," he said. "Flack's waiting for me and we're going to head over to the bar to meet up with Montana and Hawkes. I'll take the elevator with you." She nodded and the pair made their way from their office to the elevators. Once there, Jolene stepped to the side to press the button only to have the doors open and Don's voice meet her ears.

"What took you so long?" Don asked, not seeing Jolene and she stepped into his eye line.

"We were chatting, sorry," she said before she climbed onto the elevator with Danny right behind her.

"Are you joining us tonight?" Don asked as Jolene pressed the button for the main floor and she shook her head negatively before she turned her eyes to Don.

"No," she said. "I'm beat and since I don't start until two tomorrow I plan on spending the next twelve hours in bed." Don smiled at her while Danny chuckled. She sent him a smile over her shoulder at her fellow CSI before the elevator doors opened and Don held his hand out for her to exit first. She nodded her thanks and the trio left the building. "Ya'll have fun tonight, and don't do anything I wouldn't," she said before she turned to the left and headed down the block towards the subway station that would take her across town to her neighborhood.

"When are you going to admit you got a thing for the girl?" Danny asked, tearing Don's eyes away from Jolene's retreating figure.

"I don't have a thing for Jo; we're friends," Don said as he turned and started heading towards Sullivan's with Danny quick on his heels. "Besides, shouldn't you be the one to admit your feelings for Lindsey first?"

"Whatever," Danny said with a smile on his face, echoing Jolene's words from minutes before, and the two men shared a laugh as they walked.

* * *

"I really hope there is a good reason you called me before I even got to climb in the shower," Jolene said as she walked up on the scene she was called out to kit in hand. Don smiled as he turned away from the uniform and nodded at her. She was no longer wearing the navy blazer and slacks with her cream blouse; but she was dressed in a pair of dark fitted jeans a white top and the leather jacket she had worn the night they'd gone to the bar. The only thing missing were the cowboy boots. In their place were a simple pair of black flats.

"Well, your evening plans weren't the only ones that were ruined," he said and she gave him a smile. "Hey Stelle," Don said as the curly haired detective walked up on the scene seconds after Jolene.

"You again?" Jolene teased and Stella smiled.

"What do we got?" Stella asked and Don gestured behind them.

"This way," he said and the trio headed over towards the fountain with Jolene doing her best to ignore the rather large crowd that had gathered on the scene. "So, I've considered all possibilities for his wardrobe," Don said as they walked upon the man lying dead on the stone steps of a fountain dressed as a knight with a wooden stick in his stomach, which was obviously the weapon that killed him. "Too early for Halloween, Shakespeare in the Park is months away, and it's Monday night so Broadway's dark."

"All right, that leaves us with a medieval costume party," Stella said as the three of them looked down at their victim.

"If that's this guys' story, that was a killer party," Don said and Jolene rolled her eyes while Stella chuckled.

"Funny, Don," Jolene said and he sent a grin her way. "Any ID?"

"Nope, no ID, no wallet," Don said quickly. "No family crest," he added with a smirk.

"Anything from your witness over there?" Stella asked as she looked towards the homeless man that had called about the murder. Don turned to look at him quickly before looking back to the two women.

"Yeah," he said before he clapped his hands together. "You know that sugar you put in your coffee in the morning?" he asked and the two women nodded. He gave a quick shake of his head and made a serious face. "Not sugar."

"No?" Jolene asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Granulated tracking devices that the government used to keep tabs on us," Don said and Stella smiled as she pointed her finger at him.

"Good to know," she said and Don agreed; which made Jolene smile. Stella moved closer to the body and started processing. Jolene walked around the scene while Stella stuck to their victim.

"Hey Stella, I got a blood trail," Jolene said after a few minutes. "It leads in from the park."

"I found cherry blossoms in his hair," Stella said as the pair spotted cherry trees in the park. Don walked up to them then and followed their gaze after overhearing what they found. "And somebody kissed his ring. Lipstick kiss."

"Maybe our Lancelot had a rendezvous with Guinevere in the park?" Don asked and Jolene looked at him while Stella nodded. The supervising CSI turned and walked away to give instructions to the arriving ME, and to gather a team to head into the park.

"Full of wisecracks tonight aren't we?" she asked and Don smiled at her. "It's a good thing you've got a nice butt." That comment earned her a pair of raised eyebrows from the blue eyed detective. "If you didn't, the ladies would find your personality a complete turn off." The smirk on her face was a clear indication that she was teasing, but her compliment of his backside still had his mind a reeling a bit.

"Thanks, I think," he said dryly and she laughed, "and when did you check out my ass?" he asked, which made her laugh die in her throat. She really needed to start thinking before she spoke.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying your weekend. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 4

"If you knew if you were going to die in a month, would you take matters in your own hands and take your life the way you _wanted _it to end rather than how it was going to end?" Jolene asked Lindsey as the two women were settled on her sofa Chinese takeout boxes in hand.

"I don't know," Lindsey said softly before she took a bite of her food.

"I think I would rather live everyday that I had left to best of my ability," Jolene said as she poked at her own food with her chopsticks.

"What would you do?" Lindsey asked and Jolene laughed as she bit her lip.

"I don't know," Jolene said. "Maybe sky diving or bungee jumping despite my fear of heights." Lindsey laughed at that. "Or maybe I'd just spend every second with the people that I love. My family and friends back home, and all you guys at the lab. You guys are family too," she added at Lindsey's surprised look. It was true she had barely been a part of the team for seven months but she felt closer to all of them than she ever did any of her co-workers back in Atlanta. "That's what matters most isn't it?"

"You've got a point," Lindsey said.

"Of course I do," Jolene said and Lindsey laughed again which made Jolene join her. However, the buzzer going off by her door made both women jump in mild surprise before Jolene put her container on the coffee table next to her glass of water and quickly padded over to the intercom. "Yes?" she asked when she pressed the button and moved her finger over to the other one to hear the person's response.

"That you Jo?" came an all too familiar voice and for a second Jolene was frozen to the spot as she stared at the intercom. The man's laugh echoed through the intercom and his next question snapped Jolene out of her reverie. "Do I have to sit out here on your porch all night?" he asked and the next thing Lindsey knew Jolene was bounding out the door.

"Jo!" Lindsey called as she quickly stood from the sofa and followed the laughing brunette down the stairs. Lindsey didn't know what to make of what she saw next when they reached the lobby and Jolene opened the door of the building only to launch herself into the arms of a very tall and very broad man with suntanned skin and a huge smile on his face that stood on the top of the stoop. His deep rumbling laugh had been impressive over the intercom, but even more so in person.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Jolene exclaimed happily as she remained in the man's arms and several inches from the floor. "Why didn't you call to tell me you were coming?"

"Where would be the surprise in that?" he asked, his deep voice heavy with a deeper southern accent than Jolene. The cowboy hat wearing man settled Jolene back on the floor with a soft chuckle before he noticed Lindsey somewhat staring. He raised his right hand to the brim of his hat and nudged it slightly. "Miss," he greeted and Jolene turned around, her face flushed with happiness before she laughed and pulled Lindsey over.

"Lindsey this is Lucas Russell, a friend of mine from back home," Jolene said. "Luke this is Lindsey Monroe, a friend and co-worker at the lab." He held out a large calloused hand to Lindsey and Lindsey shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Monroe," Lucas said. "Jo, here, has told me a bit about you."

"Nice to meet you too," Lindsey said, still a little shocked at the pure size of the man in front of her, "but I wish I could say the same."

"I told you about Luke," Jolene defended and Lindsey looked at her. "Well, I didn't tell you his name or any recent stories about him, but he's the guy I told you about who fell in the pig pen when we were fourteen." Lindsey held back her laugh and looked up at the man who was a complete opposite of what Jolene had described.

"Jo, that was almost fifteen years ago and you haven't let that go yet?" the man asked with a blush gracing his cheeks.

"It's funny," Jolene said and Lindsey laughed, unable to hold it back any longer. Lucas only shook his head and picked up his duffle bag he had dropped when Jolene had launched herself at him. "Come on, let's go upstairs. I think we've got enough takeout," Jolene said as she looked at Lindsey and Lindsey nodded before they made their way upstairs.

* * *

"So, she's told you all my embarrassing stories, but has she told you any of hers?" Lucas asked two hours later after they were full on their takeout and nursing the beers Jolene pulled out the back of her fridge. His cowboy hat was sitting on the coffee table and his short dark blonde hair was sticking up in various directions.

"She hasn't," Lindsey said with a smile as she glanced at Jolene who rolled her eyes. During the two hours they spent chatting, Lindsey learned at Lucas had been Jolene's best friend since kindergarten and he still worked on her family's peanut farm in Georgia. He was in New York until Sunday, visiting Jolene and to take in the sights of the city that had taken his friend so far from home.

"Please, I've embarrassed myself the last seven months. I don't need to tell them any stories for them to know how clumsy I can be," Jolene said and Lindsey laughed while Lucas just grinned. Lindsey glanced at the clock and sighed.

"I should be heading home. I'm in at nine tomorrow," Lindsey said and Jolene nodded her head as she stood from the sofa, putting her beer on the coffee table.

"I'll walk you downstairs," Jolene said and Lindsey smiled at her before she looked at Lucas.

"It was nice to meet you, Lucas," Lindsey said and Lucas stood from his spot on the floor, towering over Lindsey like he did Jolene.

"Nice to meet you too, Lindsey," Lucas said. "Glad to know Jo's got at least one good friend up here."

"Hey, I've got more than one friend up here," Jolene said and Lucas gave her a pointed look.

"I haven't met any of them yet," Lucas said and Jolene shook her head and looked at Lindsey as Lindsey pulled on her shoes.

"Ready?" Jolene asked and Lindsey nodded before she waived at Lucas before she headed out of the apartment and down the stairs with Jolene.

"Can I ask you a question?" Lindsey asked as they stopped in the lobby and Jolene nodded. "Have you and Luke ever . . .," Lindsey trailed off and gestured with her hands which made Jolene's eyes widen before she laughed and shook her head negatively.

"No," Jolene said firmly. "We tried dating in high school for like a second, but kissing Luke felt like I was kissing my brother; completely wrong. Why?"

"I was just curious," Lindsey said with a shrug and Jolene smiled before she hugged her friend.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the lab," Jolene said as they pulled apart and Lindsey nodded.

"See ya," she said and left the building. Jolene trudged back upstairs and laughed when she saw Lucas cleaning up.

"When did you get domesticated?" she asked and Lucas laughed lightly.

"Probably when I asked Robin to marry me; I've got to learn to pick up after myself," he said absently and Jolene froze as she reached for the last remaining empty container on the coffee table.

"You what?" Jolene asked as she tilted her head so she was looking up at her friend from her still bent over position. He smiled at her and grabbed the container from in front of her before he tossed it into the trash bag in his hand.

"I asked Robin to marry me and she said yes," Lucas said and Jolene let out a laugh before she hugged him tightly only to pull back and smack his chest after a second. "What was that for?"

"When did you ask her?" she demanded.

"Five months ago," he said.

"Why didn't you tell me on the phone?" Jolene asked and Lucas shrugged.

"I wanted to tell you person," he said, "and Robin wanted me to ask you to be a bridesmaid. We're getting married in August."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner, and tell Robin that if I can get the time off work, I'll be there," Jolene said and Lucas smiled. "I'd call her now to congratulate her but it's almost midnight and I don't want to wake her up." Jolene smiled at her friend and shook her head. "Congratulations, Luke, I'm really happy that you wised up and asked her marry you. I told you when you started dating that she was the girl for you."

"Yeah, well, it took me longer to realize it," Luke said.

"I take it you're staying here during your time in the city?" she asked and Luke chuckled as he nodded. "Do you mind sleeping on the sofa then?"

"Sofa's fine as long as I get a pillow and a blanket," he said and Jolene nodded.

"That I can do," she said. "I have to be in at nine tomorrow like Lindsey, so, I'll do my best to keep quiet."

"I'm up at five every morning, Jo, and since I'll just be hanging out here tomorrow I can sleep all day if I want to."

"Don't rub it in," Jolene said and Lucas laughed. "I'm glad you're here. I may love it here, but I was starting to miss home." Lucas smiled before he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple as he gave her half of a hug. She was glad he was there, and maybe with her best friend around he could help her keep her mind off a certain blue eyed detective.

* * *

Don buzzed Jolene's apartment a little after eight the following morning with coffee in hand. He owed her for the coffee she bought him the other day and he thought he would give her a lift into work. It took a second but she answered him over the intercom. "Yes?" she asked and he smiled.

"Jo, it's Don," he said.

"Come on up," she said before the soft buzzing of the door unlocking met his ears. He opened the door and trudged up the stairs. He knocked on Jolene's apartment door, but he wasn't expecting the tall and broad man dressed only in black sweats that answered the door. Frowning, Don looked at the door to make sure he had knocked on the right unit, and he had.

"Um, I'm looking for Jolene," he said and the sleepy eyed man smiled.

"You must be Don," he said, his deep voice laced with an even heavier southern drawl than Jolene. "Jo told me to let you in so she could finish getting ready." Don nodded before he went inside the apartment. "I'm Luke," he said as he held out his hand to him and Don shifted the tray of coffees into his left hand before shaking the much larger man's hand. Don wasn't a small man at six-two but the man in front of him had at least three inches of height and about forty pounds of muscle on him. "I'm visiting Jolene for the week."

"Jo didn't mention she had anyone come up for a visit," Don said and Lucas laughed deeply.

"It was a surprise," Lucas said. "I just sort of showed up at her doorstep last night after taking a cab from the airport." Don nodded and watched as the man walked away and over to the sofa where Don noticed a blanket and pillow. For some reason Don was relieved to see that the man had slept on the sofa and not in Jolene's bed. "She shouldn't be too much longer, and don't take this the wrong way but I'm going to make use of this little vacation and get some more sleep until Jo get's home. It was nice to meet you," Luke said before he grabbed the blanket and pillow and headed towards the bedroom just as Jolene slipped out of it. She touched his arm and he smiled down at her before he went inside the room. Don had a sudden feeling that maybe Luke hadn't slept on the sofa.

"Hey," came Jolene's voice and Don gave her a small smile. "Coffee?" she asked with a smile of her own and Don nodded as he took in the black slacks and pale pink top she wore. Her long hair was once again pulled back and she was slightly taller because of the high heels she wore.

"I owed you from the other day, and I thought I could give you a ride in," he said and turned the tray for her to grab her preferred vanilla latte.

"Thanks Don," she said. "You've met Luke?" she asked softly and with a warm smile before she took a sip of the still hot liquid and Don nodded. That smile was one that he hadn't seen before, and he couldn't help the slight feeling of jealousy that washed over him. "We should get going if you're driving in the morning traffic." Don took his cup from the tray and nodded once more before Jolene took the tray from him and tossed it in the trash and grabbed her purse and black blazer from the back of one of her dining chairs. They left the apartment in relative silence and as they climbed in Don's car and headed towards the lab, he finally broke it.

"So, is Luke your boyfriend?" Don asked and Jolene frowned as she lowered her coffee cup from her lips.

"What made you ask that?" Jolene asked and Don shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I was just surprised to find a half dressed man answering your door this morning," Don said. Jolene could easily see the slight agitation radiating off Don and she was surprised. The few times she saw that side of Don, she had never been on the receiving end. However, that time she was and saying that she was surprised was really an understatement.

"If I told you that he was my boyfriend, what would you say to that?" she asked and he looked at her briefly before once again turning his eyes to the road.

"I'd say good for you," Don said as his grip tightened on the steering wheel. Jolene raised her eyebrows as she looked at him, but when he didn't say anything more neither did Jolene. The ride to the lab was quiet in Don's sedan until he parked it and turned it off.

"He's not my boyfriend," Jolene said and Don looked at her before she turned her eyes to his. "Luke is my best friend and has been since kindergarten. I don't have a boyfriend, Don, and if I did, would you act like this?"

"Like what?" Don asked.

"You're jealous," she stated simply.

"I'm not jealous," he said before he climbed out of the car and Jolene quickly did the same, hot on his heels.

"Yes you are," she said and he stopped and turned around to face her.

"Why would I be jealous, Jo?" he asked.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" she asked. Don sighed and shook his head before he turned away from her and stormed inside, leaving a confused and mildly hurt Jolene behind.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello all. I can't help but wonder if this story is any good. I'm glad for the adds to the favorites and alert lists, but I would like a little feedback. Don't get me wrong, I'm not begging for reviews or saying 'no more updates until X number of reviews;' but I'm just curious as to what you all are thinking of it. If it's awful I'll take it down and work out something else, but I'm enjoying writing this story and I hope you guys are enjoying reading it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter all the same and please let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 5

Jolene sighed as she watched Lucas zip up his duffle bag with his freshly laundered clothes folded inside. "I'm sorry I was such a brat practically the whole time you were here, Luke," she said before she sank down on to the sofa and looked up at him. He smiled and shook his head before he moved his bag to the floor. It was late Saturday night, Jolene was dressed in her pajama pants and tank top, comfortable in her warm apartment. Lucas was dressed in his own sweats and wife beater as he sank down on to the sofa. He'd be getting a cab the following morning and heading off to the airport while Jolene would be going to work.

"Jo, I'm used to you being a brat," he teased. "It's nothing new." Jolene scoffed and shoved his shoulder, but smiled all the same when he chuckled. "So, what is with you in this Don guy anyway?"

"There is nothing between Don and me," Jolene said tiredly. "We're friends."

"You've had countless guy friends, Jo, and not one has ever turned that shade of green when meeting me for the first time," Lucas said. Jolene sighed and knew that Lucas had a point, but she couldn't understand why he would be jealous in the first place. "You sure there's nothing there?"

"Don's a great guy," Jolene said. "He reminds me a lot of you actually only not as laid back and a little more stubborn. He doesn't have that whole southern gentleman thing going, he's a guy from Queens and a little rough around the edges." Lucas smiled at that and Jolene sighed as she rested her head against his shoulder. "I'm . . . attracted to him, but you know what happened the last time I got involved with someone I worked with."

"Travis was a dumbass and you know it," Lucas said and she lifted her head to look at him. "Don't try to defend him, Jo, because he was. It took all of my willpower not to drive into Atlanta and throttle him when you called me and told me you found him with one of the lab techs." Needless to say the relationship ended when she had caught Travis with the tech, but their personal life had bled into their professional even though Jolene did her best to not let it. "From what you told me about Don before I came up, he doesn't seem like the type of guy that would do that to his girl."

"I don't think he is, but I'm really not his type," she said as she stood and grabbed the remote for the television from the TV stand.

"How are you not his type?" Lucas asked and Jolene turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "You may be like my sister, Jo, but you're not. I'm a man and I've got a pulse. You're beautiful." Jolene rolled her eyes before she trudged back over to the sofa and sank down heavily.

"Please," she said. "I'm far too short for him."

"Robin's not even an inch taller than you, and do you think that makes me any less attracted to her? Hell no," he said. "I like to pick her up and carry her around." Jolene laughed and shook her head before she turned the 11 o'clock news on.

"Well Don isn't as big as you, and I doubt he'd be able to pick me up," Jolene said. Robin and her may have been the same height, but Jolene had about fifteen pounds on her even though it was _mostly_ muscle. "Plus, I met his last girlfriend for like a second and I'm nothing like her. She had a thick head of wavy reddish blonde hair, at least five feet ten inches, and she was an heiress or something." Lucas rolled his eyes. "I'm like one of the guys, Luke, you said so yourself when we were growing up. I'm brass and a little too much for guys to handle."

"When you wake up and see the whole picture, Jo, you'll see just how wrong you are. Right now, you're blind to it," Lucas said rather cryptically and Jolene frowned before she heard Chief Sinclair's voice on the TV and her eyes automatically went to the screen. Not only had her week with Don been rough, but work had been just as rough with Mac coming under fire from the media and with talk of the Chief giving into media pressure. She just hoped that nothing would come of it.

* * *

Jolene's mind was everywhere but where it should be as she paced outside the hearing room dressed smartly in her tailored black suit, black high heels, and pale yellow blouse. Her dark hair was piled on the back of her head and she toyed with the locket that hung from her neck. She stood in the courthouse waiting to testify at Mac's hearing concerning the death Clay Dobson while the rapist/murder was being arrested by Mac.

Her testimony was going to be the most crucial for her boss, she had taken two steps onto the roof with her gun drawn when she watched Dobson step back from the roof and go falling to his death. Despite the fact that she could vouch for Mac and everything that happened, Chief Sinclair and Deputy Inspector Gerard pushed it through. She was a "rookie" according to Gerard when he interrogated her and was probably just protecting her boss. It was far from the truth but she was determined to tell her story, which was the truth, until she was blue in the face.

"Jo," came a voice from behind her and she turned around, surprised to see Don walking over to her. It was the first time he had spoken to her since their parting in the parking lot, but she had a feeling what he was about to say was going to be more for Mac's benefit than her own. She lowered her hand, the locket falling to her chest, and looked at him expectantly. "I just wanted to warn you, the prosecutor is a pit-bull," he said and she frowned. He couldn't have possibly come all the way down to the courthouse to tell her that. He could have done that with a phone call. "Be careful." With that, he turned to leave, but she caught his arm.

"Wait," she said and he stopped, half turning to look at her and then glancing down at his arm making her realize she hadn't let go. "Don, I'm sorry," she said meekly as she pulled her hand away from his arm. Don sighed as he looked away from Jolene's dark blue eyes that were holding nothing but honesty in their dark depths.

"No," he said through a heavy breath and turned to look at her. "I'm sorry. I got a little . . . protective," he said electing to use the term he had coined for why he acted as he did. He convinced himself that he felt protective of Jolene and that was what contributed to his attitude that morning he drove her into work. Jolene wanted to call him out on the obvious cover, but she let him have his cover. Lucas had told her she wounded Don's ego by calling him out like she did, but she told him she just wanted to know _why_ he was jealous.

"Can we please move past whatever this rift is and be friends again?" Jolene asked. "I miss my drinking buddy." Don gave her a smile and she found herself smiling back at his dimpled grin; how she missed that smile of his. She hadn't realized how much until that very moment. He gave her a nod and she let out a relieved sigh before she moved forward and embraced him tightly. Don wrapped his arms around her in return and she sighed quietly before she pulled away and looked up at him.

"Sullivan's tonight with Danny," Don said and she nodded. "He didn't do too hot this morning."

"Great," she whispered, "and thanks for the warning," she concluded just as the door opened.

"Detective James," the bailiff said and Jolene turned to look at the man. "We're ready for you." Jolene nodded and looked at Don.

"Right behind you," he whispered before they walked in, Jolene following the bailiff and Don sliding into one of the gallery seats. After Jolene was sworn in, she sat down and looked at the brunette woman in a sleek gray suit.

"Detective James," she said briskly. "How long have you been a member of the New York Crime Lab?"

"Just under eight months," Jolene answered her voice just as sure as the other woman's.

"And you came to New York from what department?" the woman asked.

"Georgia Bureau of Investigation," she answered simply.

"What was your reason for coming to New York?" Jolene hadn't the slightest clue what this line of questioning had to do with Mac, but she would humor the woman.

"Change of scenery, a bigger challenge, and the opportunity to work for the one of the best crime labs in the country," Jolene answered.

"You mean the opportunity to work for Mac Taylor?" the woman asked and Jolene sighed heavily as she crossed her legs and clasped her hands before she rested her hands on her knee. The woman had dangled the hook, and Jolene had naively bit so she had no choice but to answer.

"I guess you could say that," Jolene said.

"You guess?" the woman asked and Jolene raised her eyebrows waiting to see where the woman was going. "I was under the impression that Detective Taylor was one of your idols." Jolene smirked at the woman's choice of words and shook her head.

"What gave you that-," she started but the woman interrupted her before she could continue.

"Did you or did you not use Detective Taylor as a subject to a piece you wrote four years ago that was published in _Life and Science_?" the woman asked as she turned to the table and held up a copy of the Jolene's thesis from grad school that was published thanks to the encouragement and connections of her chemistry professor. Her thesis had contained stories of six crime lab heads throughout the country; Mac just happened to be one of them.

"The piece was my thesis, and yes Detective Taylor was part-," the woman interrupted again.

"Can you tell me what you remember of the day Clay Dobson died while in the custody of Detective Taylor?" Jolene steamed a bit after being interrupted for the second time, but answered her question.

"I arrived a few minutes behind Detective Taylor to the location of Mr. Dobson's employment, and followed him as he pursued Mr. Dobson," Jolene said evenly although she wanted to spit at Dobson's name. "I fell behind after injuring my knee going through an apartment window. After a moment, I continued pursuit radioing for back up in the process."

"Did you ever hear Detective Taylor call for back up?" the prosecutor asked.

"I was his back up," Jolene said and the woman raised an eyebrow. Don smirked when he saw Jolene give the prosecutor a hard look. It was the same look he saw her on many occasions give their suspects in the interrogation room. "I got to the roof as Mr. Dobson stepped off, propelling himself to his own death. Detective Taylor had nothing to do with Mr. Dobson's falling from the roof."

"Then how do you explain the pre-mortem injuries, Detective James?" the woman asked. "Did Clay Dobson beat himself, hands cuffed behind his back, as he fell to his death?" Jolene's eyes only narrowed as the woman smirked and looked to the judge. "No further questions," she said and Jolene stood quickly from her seat before she stormed out of the courtroom with Flack quickly following.

"Of all the crazy accusations to make," Jolene said as she practically stomped out of the courthouse.

"Jo!" Don called once they were outside and she stopped at the top of the stairs to look at him. "You did well," he said encouragingly, but anything else he wanted to say died in his throat at the fury he saw in her eyes. She was pissed, more so than he had ever seen her.

"Well? I didn't do well," she snapped. "She made me sound like some crazed fan bending the truth in her 'idol's' favor! I wrote about five other lab heads in my thesis but do you think she'd let me get that out in open court? No! She's making Mac out to be the bad guy. Dobson resisted arrest and Mac did what he could without excessive force. If he would have let him get away, he would have caught hell too." Don stepped forward and put his hands on her upper arms, holding her tightly, which stopped her rant and forced her eyes up to his.

"Breathe, Jo," he said and Jolene let out a growl before she took several deep breaths and slowly let them out. "How about we grab a bite to eat before we go and meet up with Danny?"

"Yeah," she said. "I could use some food in my stomach to absorb the endless number of whisky shots I plan on consuming tonight." Don chuckled and lowered his hands from her arms.

"You want to bring Luke along?" he asked as they started going downstairs and Jolene chuckled.

"I would, but he's home in Georgia back at work and tending to his fiancé," Jolene said and Don looked at her. "He went home two days ago, on Sunday." He gave her a nod and Jolene sighed as she looked around, trying to find someplace to eat but it was all in vain. Nothing popped out. "You know any good pizza places around here? I could go for a slice or two."

"A slice or two, huh? Since when did you take on the New Yorker lingo?" Don asked as he put his hand on her upper back and turned her slightly before he led her down the street to one of his favorite pizza places in Manhattan.

"Since I've done nothing but hang out with you and Danny for the last eight months," she said and Don laughed before Jolene joined him with that deep laugh of hers. He was glad he had her back; he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to take not hearing her laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! Thanks for your reviews, adds, and for reading. I know this story's a little slow moving, but I'm promising a big moment in Chapter 7, which should be up in the coming days. Let me know what you think! Oh, in the beginning there is a little dialouge from episode 3:23, but nothing too major.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 6

"Frankie, two pints of the good stuff!" Don said as he led Jolene through the crowded bar two hours later, weaving between a few people.

"You got it, Flack," the man said as Don and Jolene reached Danny at the bar where he sat nursing his drink.

"How's it going?" Don and Danny asked at the same time and Jolene smiled and shook her head.

"Hey Danny," Jolene said before she took the empty seat to Danny's left and Don took the seat to Danny's right. Danny gave her a smile, but she could see it in his face that he was tired, and she was pretty sure her face bore the same expression. Don smirked after he sighed and looked at Danny.

"'Can you please read the highlighted text?', 'Yes'; classic," Don said and Danny chuckled.

"Word travels, huh?" Danny asked, looking at Don and the dark haired detective smirked.

"That's not quite walking out of the hearing, but I gotta give it you," Don said and Frank sat the two tall glasses down in front of Don and Jolene. "Thanks, brother," Don said and Jolene gave Frankie a smile before he winked at her and walked away. "Cheers," Don said as he picked up his glass and Danny and Jolene did the same before they clinked glasses and took a sip. "You should have seen Jo," Don said. "Probably not quite as gutsy as you, but she gave the city advocate her patented look."

"I don't have a patented look," Jolene said as she lowered her glass from her lips after taking a second drink.

"Yeah ya do," Danny said a small grin on his face. "It's the look you give to all the perps when you know they're lying and you want to throw a right hook at 'em for it." Jolene rolled her eyes and shook her head as the guys laughed at her. "It's kind of scary actually," he finished absently and that made Jolene laugh as she looked at him.

"You up for a game of pool?" Don asked when he noticed a table empty and Danny shrugged.

"You two play, I'll watch," Jolene said as she grabbed her beer and hopped down off the stool. Don laughed because she did do a small hop once she landed on her feet and the three of them quickly made their way over the pool table and sat their drinks down on the tall table just next to the pool table. With a helping hand from Don, Jolene settled herself on one of the high stools and shrugged off her suit jacket revealing that the soft yellow blouse she wore was sleeveless. She put her jacket on the back of her chair before she turned to face the guys only to find Danny setting the table and Don rolling up the sleeves of his button up after taking off his own suit jacket and draping it over the chair next to her. She gave him a small smile as she crossed her legs and took a sip of her beer.

"What happened to all the whiskey you were going to down?" Don asked while loosening his tie and Jolene laughed.

"With all that greasy pizza I stuffed into my stomach a little while ago, I'm not going to chance hard liquor tonight. I'll stick to the ale," she said raising the dark liquid to her lips once more and Don smiled.

"You wanna break?" Danny asked and Don shook his head.

"All yours, man," Don said before he turned to look at Jolene. "You sure you don't want to go a round?"

"I suck at pool," she said with a shake of her head and Don chuckled, "but I like to watch. So, have at it!" Don laughed and grabbed a pool cue while he waited for Danny to break the balls. The boys started talking and Jolene just listened, Danny echoing her sentiments from when she and Don were on the courthouse steps. The hearing and circus was not only affecting Mac, but his entire team and it wasn't easy. After a minute Danny asked a question that hadn't even entered Jolene's mind.

"Why do we do what we do, huh?" Danny asked and she frowned as Don looked at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked quickly.

"Why do we wake up in the morning, 3o'clock, stand at a crime scene in the freezing cold living paycheck to paycheck. For what?" Danny asked slowly. "To protect and serve. Serve who, the public? Sometimes it seems like they hate us. And then here we got the brass ready to throw us to the lions."

"We do it 'cause we're good at it," Don said with a shrug. "Maybe we'd be lousy at anything else," he finished with a chuckle.

"Could you see yourself working behind a desk in some big corporate office or working for the sanitation department?" Jolene asked and the two men looked at her with grins on their faces.

"I don't know," Don said as he readied to take another shot. "Maybe we do it for the one or two times somebody actually thanks us for finding their son's murderer." Danny nodded and the mood was too tense for Jolene's liking. Her neck had been tight all day, and despite Don's company and pizza a little while ago she was still tense and the mood surrounding her friends wasn't helping.

"I think it's for the donuts," Jolene said as Don took his shot, which made the man miss and the two guys looked at her with confused expressions. Jolene only shrugged as she smiled. "What? Have you ever had the chocolate covered ones with the custard inside? I think I put on ten pounds one week back in the day thanks to those things." It took a beat but Danny and Don were both laughing and Jolene smiled. The tension was gone and the trio enjoyed the rest of their night.

* * *

"Come on, Jo," Don said with a light chuckle as he helped Jolene up the stairs to her apartment. She wasn't stumbling drunk, but she was a little too inebriated to make her way home on her own. "Good thing you don't work tomorrow," he mumbled as he found the key for the deadbolt lock of Jolene's apartment and unlocked the door. Jolene giggled as he turned on the light and she sighed before she pulled her high heels off and tossed them over to the sofa. "You going to be okay?" he asked as he watched her pulled her hair free of the clip and pins that had secured the long locks to the back of her head all day.

"Yeah," she said before she put the clip and pins on the table next to the door. She swayed a bit and Don put his hands on her shoulders. She laughed softly and shook her head. "I think I had one too many," she said gently as she looked up at Don and he smiled as he looked down at her and pushed her hair from her face.

"Maybe more than one too many," he said and Jolene smiled up at him.

"Yeah, maybe more than one too many," she repeated and Don laughed softly. She sighed softly before she moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him. Don stiffened a bit as her arms tightened but he slid his arms around her and hugged her back with a soft sigh of his own. "I'm glad we're not fighting anymore," she said, her voice muffled by his chest, and he smiled.

"Me too, Jo," he said while he rubbed her back. "Come on, let's get you in bed." Jolene nodded her head against his chest and took a deep breath before she pulled away. She wondered what cologne he wore because even after spending the night in the bar, he smelled good. Don kept his arm around her as he guided her over to her bedroom door. He turned on the light in the bedroom and looked at her. "You want to change?" he asked and she sighed.

"Yeah, I should," she said before she pulled away from him and went into the bathroom across the hall from the bedroom. She closed the door behind her. Don chuckled and shook his head before he went into her bedroom and smiled. Jolene was as much of a neat freak at home as she was in the office. Everything seemed to have its place and the bed was nicely made with far more pillows than were necessary.

For some reason, he found her bedroom rather comfortable. She had painted the walls dark blue and her bedroom furniture was a dark wood and as he ran his hand along the top of the long dresser. Smiling, he shook his head and moved over to the bed, taking off the pillows and the lone tattered teddy bear that rested in the center of the pillows. He tossed a pillow on the floor under the windowsill and looked at the bear. The right eye was missing and stitching had repaired tears and reattached the left arm to the body of light brown bear.

"Jonathan ripped Teddy's arm off when he was four," came Jolene's voice and Don jumped a bit, he hadn't heard her leave the bathroom and yet again his mouth went dry at the sight of her. She was dressed in a pair of baggy black sweats and a white tank top. Her hair was up again, but it was in a messy bun on the back of her head. She walked over to him and took the bear from his hands. "I was nine at the time and I cried for hours while my mom stitched it up."

"It's still that important to you?" he asked and she blushed. He had to admit he liked it when she blushed. She rarely ever did, but the light pink that covered her cheeks was kind of sexy.

"This bear has been with me my entire life," she said. "My dad bought him for me when I was born. I know it's childish, but it's not like I've got a bed full of stuffed animals."

"No, but you got like eight pillows," Don said and Jolene laughed before she put the bear down on the bed and turned to look at him fully. "Are you okay, Jo?" he asked when he saw the somber look that came across her face.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I'm just glad that I know a guy like you in this city. I don't think the transition here would have been so easy if we hadn't met my first day at the lab."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a slight frown.

"I was scared out of my mind that day," she said. "Worried that I was going to screw something up, and with Danny teasing me all day it hadn't helped my confidence any. You remember what you said to me that day when you caught me kicking the vending machine out of frustration?" Don smirked and nodded his head. "You said 'I don't think pretending a large square metal box is Messer is going to do anything but hurt your foot'," she said with a light chuckle.

"And you started laughing like I had just told you the best joke you ever heard," Don said with grin and Jolene sighed.

"Only because I was tired, frustrated, and _that_ just happened to be the first thing you ever said to me."

"Yeah, but it wasn't that funny."

"I know it wasn't," she said as she slapped his arm. Jolene laughed softly before she embraced him tightly yet again. Don sighed and closed his eyes as he moved his left arm around her upper back and put his right hand on the back of her neck. "I knew then that you and I were going to get along; and I'm glad we did," she said softly and Don smiled as he opened his eyes.

"I am too," he said and he kissed the top of her head. She didn't want that moment to end, but she had already toed across the line and she needed to reel herself back before she went too far and couldn't stop herself. It took all of her might to pull back from him and she took his hand into hers. Smiling up at him she tugged on his hand.

"I'm tired, you're tired, and you need to go home," she said as she pulled him out of the room and towards the door. She let go of his hand and he laughed as he reached for the doorknob, pausing to look at Jolene as she stood there, a warm smile on her face. He really didn't want to leave, but there was no way he was going to voice that. "I'm safe and sound and will be tucked into bed in five minutes. Good night, Donald," she said with a grin and Don smiled.

"Good night, Jo," he said before he opened the door and left, closing it tightly behind him. He waited in the hall until he heard the deadbolt lock and then made his way downstairs and out into the night with his mind on the fiery brunette.

* * *

Much to Jolene's relief Mac had been cleared, and life had returned back to normal in the lab. As the late May weather warmed up the city, one morning Jolene found herself restless as she stared down at her report on her latest case. Her eyes darted to her watch almost every minute as the clock drew closer to six that morning. Don was going in on a raid at a warehouse, where a large shipment of narcotics had came in. He told her the day before that he and his team had been working on the plans for the raid for the last two weeks and Jolene was on edge with worry. She'd had come into the lab nearly three hours before her scheduled shift at eight under the guise of catching up on paperwork when in truth she wanted to be on hand when the call came in about the raid.

Even though she had yet to admit it to anyone but herself, Don had come to mean more to her than he should have and she couldn't help but worry about him. With practically no sleep the night before she had put on a bit of a makeup that morning to cover up the dark circles and to brighten up her face. She rarely ever wore the stuff, but she had looked rather frightening that morning and she didn't want to scare anyone. Jolene brought her pen to her mouth and absently chewed on the cap when she heard a soft chuckle. She looked up and lowered the pen from her mouth to smile when she saw Sheldon walk in.

"You're early," he said and she sighed.

"I'm a little behind in my paperwork," she said. "Thought I'd catch up on it before my shift started."

"Sure," he said with a nod as he shrugged off his jacket and put on the back of his chair. "However, I know you're not behind at all, and that you're probably here waiting on word about the raid going down this morning," he concluded and Jolene laughed nervously before she put her pen down and closed the folder.

"Am I that obvious?" she asked and Sheldon shook his head. "How did you know about the raid?"

"Don knew I started shift at six this morning," he said. "He told me what was going down and asked me to make sure you hadn't camped out here all night." Jolene smiled and shook her head. Don had told her the previous day what had him on edge after she asked him what was bothering him for the millionth time. "So, how long have you been here?"

"Since five this morning," she said and Sheldon raised an eyebrow while she shrugged. "I couldn't sleep and I figured I might as well be here in case I'm needed then lying in bed staring at the ceiling."

"Well, since you're caught up on your paperwork," Sheldon said as he picked up to rather thick file folders, "how about giving me a hand with mine?" he asked and Jolene laughed before she nodded and took one of the folders from him. At least she would be busy until they got the call to go out.


	7. Chapter 7

I know I said this chapter would be out in a few days, but inspiration struck me today and this mammoth of a chapter came to be. There are major spoilers for Snow Day and I took quite a bit from the episode because it was needed, however, I hope you like it all the same. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 7

Jolene arrived at the warehouse with Adam seeing as Sheldon, Stella, and Mac went together and had gone ahead. The tech was a little nervous as it was only his third time out in the field and to come out on such a big bust was a little intimidating. "You'll be fine, Adam, don't worry," she assured him as they grabbed their kits from the trunk of the SUV and Adam gave her a small smile before she closed the trunk.

"Wow," Adam said once they passed the lines of officers and SWAT outside and went into the warehouse. Jolene only nodded. Back in at Atlanta she had her fair share of processing scenes that were the result of big busts, but nothing quite to the extent that one had been. Jolene patted Adam on the shoulder and quickly walked further into the warehouse.

"Mac," Jolene said, catching her boss' attention, and he nodded at her.

"Jo," he said. "Help Hawkes with the body for now and once he and the drugs are removed I want you to stay here with Adam and finish processing. It's a lot of ground to cover, but I'll have Lindsey join you guys when she gets on shift at nine."

"You got it," Jolene said before she walked past him and towards the direction he pointed. She rounded one of the semi trucks and spotted Sheldon taking photos of one of the men in the warehouse lying dead on a stack of packaged cocaine with a bullet in his chest. "Sheldon," Jolene said as she sat down her kit and opened it. The doctor paused long enough in taking the photos to nod in her direction. "Do we know who took him out?" Jolene asked as she pulled on a pair of gloves.

"Yeah," Sheldon said as he lowered his camera and looked at her. "Don did, staring down the barrel of this guy's AK-47." Jolene frowned as she stood and Sheldon shook his head. "Don't worry, he didn't get hurt." Relief washed over Jolene just as Sheldon started taking photos again and Don walked up to them looking slightly strained. "Any ID?" Sheldon asked him and Don put his hands on his hips.

"Nope, and the rest of the clan ain't taking," Don said. "Do better with a swab of blood from that hole I put in his chest. Might get you a hit in CODIS." Don was staring down at the man with a look Jolene had never seen on his face before; and she knew it had to do with the fact that he had taken a life that morning.

"Hey," Sheldon said. "He was going to kill you. You did what you had to."

"Yeah. It's just now how I wanted to start my day," Don said as he turned and walked away, without so much as a glance at Jolene. She sighed and shook her head before she looked at Sheldon.

"He'll be okay," Sheldon said and Jolene couldn't help but glance back at Don as he talked to Mac.

"I hope so," she said softly before she set to work. She needed to focus and that was exactly what she was going to do.

* * *

Nearly two hours later the drugs and the two bodies had been moved out leaving Jolene and Adam to process the warehouse until Lindsey arrived. It was nearly ten, but their scene was in Brooklyn, so, Jolene wasn't worried that Lindsey hadn't arrived right at nine. She would need to be briefed and everything before heading over. Jolene made her way from the back of the warehouse to ask Adam if he had a few extra pairs of gloves only to find herself grabbed from behind.

"Well, what do we have here?" an Irish accented voice asked and Jolene stiffened before she discreetly started to reach for her gun holstered on her right hip. However, her movement hadn't gone unnoticed. In a fraction of a second the hand left her left arm and was securely on her throat, squeezing ever so tightly, before her holster was ripped from hip. "That wasn't very smart of ye," he hissed into her ear before a thunderous pain filled her head and darkness consumed her.

* * *

Adam's eyes widened as a fourth man came from the back of the warehouse with a limp Jolene over his right shoulder. The man lazily threw her onto the concrete floor and Adam stared at her chest for a minute to make sure she was still breathing and to his relief she was. A slow line of blood trickled down from her hair and along her right temple and down her cheek; which only made his worry come back. "Found this one in the back," the man said. "Other than the two cops and these two, the place is clear."

"Y-you're too late," he said as the man next to him took Adam's lab ID from his neck and handed it to one of the other men. Two men, including the one with Adam's ID, left while talking into a walkie talkie; and Adam looked back to the first man. "The d-drugs have already been moved."

"And that's where you come in, lad," the first man said, a sinister grin visible through his ski mask. "You're going to tell us where they are."

* * *

Screams woke Jolene from the forced sleep she was put under and despite the pain throbbing in the back of her head she was alert and easily remembered what had happened. She remained still as she slowly opened her eyes only to see an armed man in a blue jumpsuit and ski mask standing near Adam, who was screaming, as a second man dressed exactly like the first with his gun resting on his back, burned Adam in the palm with a cigarette.

Jolene knew she wouldn't be able to fight them, not with her head swimming the way it was, and with her weapon gone there was really nothing she could do other than prove to be a distraction to get them to stop hurting Adam. She quietly shifted her left hand and reached out for anything that could serve as a weapon to throw at the man that was holding Adam's hand and burning it. Her hand latched on to a piece of metal and as quickly as she could manage, she sat up moved the metal to her right hand and threw it. She hit her target square in the left rips and the man fell away from Adam, screaming in pain.

Jolene stood quickly, but it wasn't fast enough and the second man rushed over to her punching her square in the jaw. She'd taken harder blows from the horses on the farm, but with her head already spinning from the blow she took early she fell to the floor. She pushed herself up and spat out the blood that had filled her mouth only to be pulled up by her ponytail after the man had wrapped his hand in her long hair. She screamed in pain, unable to hold it back, and the man turned her around so she was facing Adam. The first man had gotten to his feet again, and she could see his dark eyes were full of fire as he looked her way and rubbed his side. Jolene felt the cool metal of a gun barrel pointed at her right temple as she struggled against the man, and his whispered voice echoed in her ear.

"If ye don't stop movin', lass, you're going to get a bullet through that pretty head of yours," he whispered and Jolene stilled slightly, but not enough to let him know he'd broken her.

"Tell us what we want to know, or you've just signed her death certificate," the first man said his voice also heavy with an Irish accent. Jolene had no doubt that these two men were part of the Irish gang that was taken down that morning by Don and his team. Adam whimpered as he held his right hand by the wrist and looked at Jolene.

"Don't Adam!" she shouted only to have the barrel pressed completely against her temple and she closed her eyes. Adam, knowing the man would really kill Jolene without a second thought, spoke quickly and told the men what they wanted to know.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" the first man asked before he turned away, talking into his radio. Jolene's eyes shot open as she screamed in pain all thanks to the man pulling on her hair and tilting her head back.

"It's you're lucky day, lass," he said before he struck her in the right ribs with the butt of the gun. She heard and felt a sickening crack and let out a scream as pain ripped through her side. He undoubtedly had either fractured or broken at least one rib with one blow and she went limp against him.

"Let's get them into the truck with the cops," the first man said before he grabbed Adam by the collar and started pulling him along. The second man kept a hold of Jolene's hair and forced her to follow. Once in the back of the truck the first man threw Adam onto the floor and second man did the same with Jolene before they stomped out of the truck and into the warehouse. Jolene quietly whimpered as she righted herself and pressed her back against the wall, taking short shallow breaths with her eyes closed before she slowly opened them and spotted to the two officers handcuffed at the head of the truck.

"You guys okay?" she asked softly and the white officer nodded while the black officer frowned.

"Shouldn't we be asking you two that?" he asked in a whisper and Jolene managed a smile.

"I'm okay," she said forcibly before she looked to Adam who was sitting across from her. "You okay?" she asked and Adam, looked like he wanted to cry. "Hey," she said and Adam's eyes moved to hers. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he managed even though he was still holding his right wrist and his palm was up. She could see the deep burns even from where she sat and she knew he was in a lot of pain. They weren't sitting there for very long when they heard a car pull up outside.

"Oh my God," Jolene whispered and Adam met her gaze once more. "Lindsey." That was all she had to say before Adam's pain filled expression morphed into one filled with concern and they both looked to the open end of the truck just as one of the men appeared at the end.

"You four breathe a word and they'll be hell to pay," he hissed dangerously, waiving around Jolene's nine millimeter.

"She'll probably approach where you'll be able to see," Jolene whispered and took a deep breath before she whimpered as her ribs protested her breathing. "You've got to warn her somehow," she said to Adam and he looked at a loss. He truly didn't know what to do and Jolene was in no shape to do much else but hold her side and hope for the best because if she were to shout, she'd just injure herself further.

"Jo?" It wasn't Lindsey that called out, it was Danny and Jolene could feel her heart race even more than it already was. It felt like endless seconds until they heard his voice again. "Adam?" he called. Adam could see him and called out.

"Danny!" Adam called and he saw Danny look at him. "Danny look out!" he shouted only to watch as Danny was struck from behind by when of the men and fall to the floor. Adam winced and Jolene looked at him only to watch him shake his head. Jolene sighed and a second later the two men were dragging Danny into the truck. They threw him down next to Adam, who moved to help Danny only to have the man point his AK-47 in his face.

"Stay against the wall," he hissed and Adam did as he said. They moved to the end of the truck and Jolene, with her left arm and hand wrapped around her stomach and resting on her right side looked at Danny to make sure he was okay only to watch him pull his cell phone out of his front pocket. Jolene looked away and down at her legs. She didn't want to give the men any indication that Danny was doing something, however, they noticed. "Oy," the first man said and they charged over.

They second one that enjoyed hitting Jolene kicked Danny hard in the back, flattening him before he stopped on Danny's hand. Jolene winced and looked away as Danny shouted in pain and she heard the bones in his hand break. The first man grabbed Danny's shirt and threw his back against the wall making Adam jump a bit, but Jolene remained still her eyes narrowed on the men.

"No more dumb moves; are we clear?" the first man asked.

"What the hell do you want?" Danny asked his breathing heavy. "The drugs are gone." The man simple stood and stomped down on Danny's phone, breaking it. They left and Danny slowly righted himself. Adam reached to help him but pulled his hand back as the movement pulled at his burns. Danny's eyes moved to Adam's hand and the concern was clear on his face. "What they do to you, Adam?"

"They burned his hand with cigarettes," Jolene managed and Danny turned his eyes to her, his frown only deepening as he took in the drying blood on the corner of her mouth, the blood on her face and the way she was tenderly holding her side. "I'm fine," she assured him, but it was obvious he didn't believe her.

"Tell me what they wanted," Danny said. "What did they say they wanted?"

"I'm so sorry," Adam said. "I had no choice, they were going to kill us, Danny."

"But what did they want?" Danny asked.

"They wanted . . . they wanted my ID and the pass codes to the parking garage and the crime lab and . . .," Adam trailed off as he took a shaky breath and hit his head against the wall of the truck.

"And?" Danny urged, but Jolene answered for him.

"They wanted to know where their guns and drugs are," Jolene said and Danny looked at him. "I wasn't there when they started their questioning, but that's all he told them." She shifted her position, but stopped as pain erupted once more and she winced.

"You sure you're okay?" Danny asked, clearly not believing her but she just painted on a smile.

"I'm fine, Danny," she insisted before she rested her head against the back of the truck. She just hoped that someone would realize what was going on and help would arrive soon.

* * *

After watching Danny brace his fingers using the sleeve of his shirt and his badge, Jolene felt sick; but she knew he had to do if his fingers were going to be of any use in the future. "Adam, what have you got in your kit, buddy?" Danny asked and Adam frowned.

"What are you talking about? My, my kit's all the way over there," Adam said.

"Just tell me what you have in there," Danny groaned out as he finished wrapping up his hand. Adam looked at Jolene and she shook her head.

"Mine is in the back of the warehouse," she said softly. "It won't do us any good."

"Uh, presumptive blood tests," Adam said shakily, "enough kit stuff to cast with, a narco test kit-," he named off and Danny interrupted.

"Test kit. Test kit. That's good," Danny said quickly. "That means . . . that means you got Marquis Reagent in there, which contains sulfuric acid. All right, I'm gonna need you to go get it," Danny said and Jolene looked at him like he was crazy.

"What?" she asked. "How is he supposed to do that?"

"Danny, look at me," Adam said. "If I, if I move, they're going to kill me."

"They're not gonna kill us, 'cause if they were, they would've done it already, okay?" Danny said. "They need us as hostages. I know you're afraid, but so am I. Jo can barely breathe without wincing and you are going to get it. You understand me?"

"Okay, but how am I supposed to-," Adams started to ask when Danny was suddenly up and running out of the truck. Jolene wanted to call out, but held back her shout knowing he would get caught sooner if she did.

"Scumbags," Danny said as he jumped down, drawing the men's attention to him, before they took off running after him. Adam quickly ran out of the truck towards his kit and Jolene looked to the handcuffed officers.

"Is it just me or are they insane?" she asked in a whisper, which made the two men shake their heads. Adam was back in a flash and the beating sounds stopped and it seemed like forever before Danny was thrown back into the truck and next to Jolene. The two men went back out and Jolene looked at Danny.

"Danny," Jolene whispered as she moved through the pain and put her right hand on his shoulder as she turned him slightly. "You are either the stupidest or bravest man I ever met." He gave her a small chuckle as he looked up at her. "But I'm settling for both. What happened?"

"They had me make a call," Danny said. "Flack and the cavalry are on their way." She looked at him with concern etched across her bruising face, but Danny shook his head. "I'll be okay, Jo, so long as Adam held up his end of the deal."

"I got it," Adam said with a nod and Danny sighed.

* * *

Don stood outside the warehouse on edge for a million reasons as he stared at the monitor of the thermal camera that showed five bodies elevated and close together and two standing with obvious weapons in their hands. Don knew that Jolene was one of the five, and he only hoped that she wasn't hurt. "Flack," Lindsey said as she jogged over to him, strapping on a vest and he looked at her.

"Hey," he said. "We just initiated contact, but there's still no word on the condition of the hostages."

"But you spoke to Danny, right?" Lindsey asked. "He's the one that called you?" Don nodded as he wiped at his mouth.

"He didn't sound good, Linds," he said tightly. "Thought Mac would be here by now," Don said, trying to take his mind off how Jolene, Adam, Danny, and the uniforms were doing inside.

"There's a gas leak at the crime lab," Lindsey said. "The phones are down. Everybody's been evacuated. It's a mess."

"Nice toy," came a man's voice over the walkie talkie and Don raised his to his face.

"Why don't you come outside? I'll show you how to use it," Don said.

"Oh, you're funny," the man said. "I like funny people. "Unfortunately, the lads and lass in here, they're just not cutting it."

"Why don't we swap, me for the hostages?" Don asked as Lindsey looked at him. "I'm the one who put you out of business, after all."

"Oh, I'll think about it," the man said.

"While you're doing that, why don't you tell me what you want," Don said. "Give me something to think about."

"Well, let's start with my guys," the man said, "the men you arrested this morning. I want them released." Don looked at Lindsey before walkie talkie went dead and sighed. The pair shared a look before they turned their eyes to the image on the screen once more.

* * *

Jolene had moved her hand from Danny the second one of the men came up into the truck, and she glared at him as he stood guard over them. "You're a fiery one aren't you, lass," he said. "It's a pity you're a cop."

"Like you would stand a chance anyway," she bit back only to have him kick her in the side. She let out a strangled cry as the pain intensified in her ribcage and if the rib hadn't been completely broken, it was then.

"Bring me the cops," the other man shouted and the man in the truck moved over to the handcuffed officers. Once the men were out in the warehouse Jolene, Danny, and Adam watched as they forced the officers to put on jumpsuits. As the men duct taped weapons in the officer's hands, it was then the trio realized what the men were doing. Adam pulled the bottle from his shirt pocket and tossed it to Danny. It was going to be now or never.

* * *

"Cop you there?" came the man's voice over the walkie talkie, and Don quickly brought it to his face.

"Yeah, I'm right here," he said as Lindsey looked at him.

"You release my boys?" the man asked.

"I spoke to my supervisors. They're gonna see what they can do," Don said.

"That's not good enough, Serpico," the man said. Don pounded the walkie talkie against his vest in thought before he raised it to his face once more.

"Well, I'll tell you what might speed things up. Proof of life," Don said. "You put one of my boys on the line, let me hear their voice and know the others are alive, that'll definitely grease the wheels.

"You wanna hear something?" the man asked. "How about the sound of a Guinea cop taking her last breath? Would that grease the wheels?" the man shouted.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Don shouted into the walkie talkie. There was only one female inside and that was Jolene, and he wasn't about to let anything happen to her.

Jolene and Adam looked up as one of the men stalked inside. "Get up," he said as he looked at Jolene. "I said get up!" he said as he made to grab her, but Danny stood and tossed the Marquis Reagent in the man's voice, which made him scream as he fell back. Danny got him against the wall and punched him several times before the man fell to the floor of the truck. Danny got the man's gun and shot the other man as he charged into the truck.

"It's going down! Let's move!" Don shouted when he heard the gunfire and his heart fell into his stomach. "Move in! Go!" Don and the other officers charged inside. "Drop your weapons!" echoed Don's voice and Jolene looked at Adam.

"Run and tell them they're cops!" she exclaimed. "Hurry!" she said and Adam was quick on his feet once more.

"No, don't shoot!" Adam said as he went running. Don't shoot. They're cops!" Adam said and Jolene sighed as she moved over to Danny. They sort of helped each other moved to the exit of the truck as two officers charged in and took care of the two suspects. Lindsey was to them first.

"Danny!" she exclaimed as she put away her gun and helped Danny from the truck. "Oh my God, Danny," she said as she took in his battered appearance and Danny groaned as he sat down to climb out.

"Lindsey," he said and she helped him down. With her arm once again wrapped around her stomach Jolene's eyes met Lindsey's and even though her friend looked at her in concern Jolene only smiled.

"Help him," she said. "He's worse off."

"Jo," came an urgent voice and Don was suddenly up in the back of the truck his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him, never happier to see his face. "You don't look so good," he said.

"A broken rib and probably a mild concussion, but I'm okay" she assured him and it was easy to see he didn't believe her.

"What side is your bad side?" he asked and she gestured with her head to her right and he moved to her left, carefully taking her in his arms before he climbed down out of the truck.

"Put me down," she said once he had her out of the truck. "I'm okay," she said even though she winced as he settled her back on the floor.

"Let's get EMS over here!" Don called and Jolene put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don, there's more than just the hostage situation," she said and he frowned.

"What are you talking about?" he asked and as she opened her mouth to explain her theory, an officer cut her off.

"Hey Flack, check this out," one of his officers said and Don looked up just as EMS came over to Jolene with a gurney.

"Take care of her," he ordered and after a long look at her, he walked away. Jolene sighed and would have stopped him if she hadn't seen the officer hold up a gas mask and a light seemingly go off in Don's head before he was shouting that they needed to get back to the crime lab.

* * *

Even though Jolene told the doctor she was fine after he bandaged up her two broken ribs, the man insisted that she stay overnight for observation given the fact that she did suffer from a mild concussion. So, there she laid on the bed of her private room watching the evening news. The lab had sustained heavy damage after a small explosion, but thankfully no one except for the intruders had been hurt or killed. Adam had came to see her after he was released from the ER as did Lindsey. They were keeping Danny overnight as well, so, Jolene didn't feel so bad.

Sighing, she turned off the television and looked out the open blinds at the city. The sun was still shining, and in a few hours it would be setting. A soft knock sounded at the partially open door and Jolene looked to the door only to smile when she saw Don slowly made his way in. He gave her a small smile as he came over to the bed and she reached out for his hand. Don took her hand into his and her smile grew.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he said back. "How are you feeling?"

"A little tired but other than that I'm fine. Pain medication works wonders," she said with a light laugh. She didn't dare laugh much more than that because even with the medication that little jostle of her chest still hurt. Don rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand and she sighed quietly. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Jo," he said gently. She didn't believe him and she slowly sat up. He let go of her hand and put his hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting up," she said as she put her right hand on her side. "You're not okay, and I really don't feel like laying back while talking to you about it." He moved his hands to her face and ran her thumbs along her cheeks. The heart monitor she was connected to started beeping a little faster and she blushed lightly when the tone met her ears. "Don," she whispered and he sighed as he leaned down to her and pressed his forehead against hers.

"When Danny called, I was so worried that when we got there we were going to be too late," he whispered and she moved her left hand to his wrist.

"I'm fine," she whispered. "Danny's fine, Adam's fine; we're all okay."

"Jolene," he said as he lifted his head and she frowned. He never called her by her full name and she couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. However, that thought was soon gone from her mind as he pressed his lips to hers heatedly. Jolene found herself kissing him back just as eagerly, pain be damned.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello all. Thanks for reading and for your reviews. I hope you like this chapter, and as always, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 8

Jolene woke with a slight start as a commercial came on the television and she frowned as she looked up at the TV and then around the room. It was then that she realized that she must have fallen asleep while watching the news and Don coming into her room had been a dream. Even in her dreams she couldn't escape that man. She sighed as she turned off the TV, raised her hand to her forehead, and closed her eyes.

"Hi," a soft voice said and she opened her eyes as she raised her hand and looked towards the door to see Don walking over to her, dressed still in his dress shirt, slacks and loose tie. "How you doing?" he asked and she gave him a small smile as he came to a stop at the side of her bed, his hands resting on the raised railing. As she looked at him, she couldn't help but wish her dream would come true at that moment.

"I'm fine," she said. "I tried to get them to let me go home, but the doctors here don't listen to reason."

"You have a concussion, Jo," he said with a frown, "two broken ribs, and a bruise the size of a grapefruit forming on your lower left cheek. Plus, you're lucky you didn't need stitches for that cut on the back of your head."

"I could be doing exactly what I'm doing right now in the comfort of my own bed," Jolene said.

"You'll be going home in the morning, so, don't give the nurses a hard time," Don chided with a smile and Jolene laughed softly only to wince and move her hand to her side. Don sighed as his smile fell and Jolene shook her head.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she said lightly with a forced smile. She took her left hand from her side and held it out to him. He took her hand in his and she reveled in the warmth of it. "So, have you stopped to see Danny?" she asked and he nodded as his thumb moved along the back of her hand and his eyes were focused down on her.

"He's going to be staying a couple of days," Don said and Jolene nodded. Lindsey had pretty much told her the same thing, but with a nervous edge to her voice. She didn't have the heart to question her friend why Danny had come on shift early and in her place. She would find out later.

"So, how are you doing?" she asked and the frown was back on his face, but she maintained the pointed look on her face until he answered. She wasn't expecting the same answer 'Dream Don' gave her, but she was still expecting an answer.

"I've been better, but you don't need to be worrying about me," he said. "You need to be taking it easy." That was the answer she knew he'd give.

"Don, whether you like it or not I'm going to worry about you," Jolene said, "and since when do I take it easy?" He squeezed her hand tightly and Jolene adjusted how she was sitting so she was looking at him more easily with less pressure on her side.

"What exactly happened to you, Jo?" Don asked softly. He knew a little bit from Adam after he talked to him but the tech hadn't said too much; and with Danny hopped up on pain meds he hadn't been any help. Plus, most of Don's attention had shifted to the lab and getting things taken care of there. Jolene told him everything and watched as his face morphed from one emotion to the other.

"And you know the rest," she said as she concluded her tale rather tiredly. Retelling everything made her realize just what kind of position she had been in all day. She could have easily been killed, and even Danny, Adam, or the two uniforms could have lost their lives that day. Her emotions were suddenly on the surface and trusting Don she spoke quietly. "Can I tell you something and not have you think different of me?" she asked and he frowned yet again.

"I'd never think different of you," he said and Jolene sighed, which only made his frown deepen as he took in her expression. He'd never seen her like that before and his concern only grew.

"I was scared out of my mind," she admitted, her held back tears lining her eyes. "In all my time in the field, I never been in a situation like that before; and

"It's okay to be scared, Jo," he said softly as he turned slightly and raised his left hand to her face, gently wiping away at the tear that rolled down her cheek. "You're human, not a robot." Her lip trembled and he sighed quietly as he lowered his hand from her face and let go her hand before he sat down on the side of the bed. Jolene didn't care that it hurt her, she moved so she could embrace him and Don carefully wrapped his arm around her left side so he wouldn't put any unnecessary pressure on her ribs. "It'll be okay, Jo, you'll see," he whispered into the top of her head and she reached out with her left hand and grasped the front of his shirt as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise it will." Jolene had no doubt that he was right.

* * *

"This really, _really_, sucks," Jolene said as she sat back, wincing slightly as the brace the doctors had put her in two weeks ago tightened a bit. Lindsey smiled slightly as she looked at her friend, who had grown tired of being confined to the lab and working only part time until she had healed from her broken ribs. "It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't in the old lab and underground. How long until the new lab is ready?" she asked and Lindsey couldn't hold back her laugh then.

"I told you this morning, they said it should be up and running in three weeks," Lindsey said and Jolene sighed.

"You're off shift, Jo," Stella said as she walked into the lab and Jolene rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Stella, I've only been in for five hours," Jolene said. "I've barely got started on the trace Danny and Sheldon brought back."

"That's what I'm here for, Jo," Lindsey said and Jolene sighed.

"Danny's fingers are still broken and Adam's hand is still bandaged," Jolene said. "How come the two of them are back to work with barely any restriction and I'm still limited?"

"Because they've been given the all clear, and if you want to heal properly, you have to do as your doctor says," Stella said. "Plus, Mac left specific instructions that you stick to it because he knew you wouldn't."

"All right, all right," Jolene said with a soft sigh as she slowly stood from her chair. "I can tell when I'm not wanted." Stella and Lindsey laughed as they shook their heads and Jolene gently shrugged out of her lab coat.

"Believe me when I say we can't wait until you're on full time again," Stella said and Jolene smiled as she hung up the coat.

"Good," she said.

"I'll stop by when I'm off if it's not too late," Lindsey sand and Jolene nodded.

"Sounds good," she said. "I'll see you." The women chorused a good bye and Jolene left the lab and went to her locker to get her purse and. After she had her things, Jolene walked out of the locker room only to stop short when she saw Don standing there. She gave a half smile as she furrowed her brow. "Hello," she said and Don smirked.

"Hey," he said as he pushed himself off the wall. "I'm off shift and I thought I'd give you a ride home."

"Thanks," she said. "A ride would definitely beat the subway." Don's smile smirked into a smile before they walked out of the lab and towards the garage together. The ride to Jolene's had been in relative comfortable silence, with only a few words exchanged between the pair. When Don parked his car about half a block away from Jolene's building, she turned her head to look at him. "You want to come up and half a late lunch with me?"

"Sure," he said with a smile as his light eyes met hers and Jolene smiled before she looked away and blushed lightly as she carefully climbed out of the car. She'd been doing that much more than she had in her entire life, and ever since that night in the hospital she'd been finding it harder and harder to hide her deeper feelings for the man.

They went inside and up to Jolene's apartment where Jolene told him to make himself comfortable and if wanted a drink to help himself while she went and changed. Don had taken off his suit coat and draped it over the back of one of her dining room chairs before he rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie a bit. He had gone into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the fridge when he heard Jolene let out a shout. Forgetting about his water he charged into her room without knocking and walked over to the half dressed woman as she pressed her hand to her side.

"What's wrong? Jo, you okay?" he asked before he moved so he was standing in front of her.

"I just moved a way the brace didn't like and it pulled. I'm all right," she said tightly as a blush filled her face. She was standing in a pair of sweats, her white cotton bra, and her brace; she hadn't been expecting him to barge in her room.

"You sure?" he asked moving his hands to her face, forcing her eyes to his.

"Yes," she breathed, her mouth suddenly going dry as he looked down at her. With his worry put at ease, he realized her state of dress and his eyes took her in. The brace was cutting off most of his view of her, but his heart raced anyway as his eyes moved to hers yet again. He wanted her, and he couldn't fight it anymore. He had a feeling that Jolene felt the same if the way she was looking at him at that moment was any indication.

"God you're beautiful," he whispered and Jolene's stomach flipped at the sincerity in his eyes. He moved his left hand to her long hair, and pulled the black tie from the dark locks. He ran his hand through her hair while the thumb of his right hand dragged along her cheek. Jolene's heart was pounding so hard it almost hurt, and she refused to look anywhere by at Don's eyes so she wouldn't break whatever it was that came over him. It was then that her dreams came true.

Don leaned down and captured her lips in a tender kiss, and Jolene swore her heart exploded in her chest. She reached out and put her hands on his waist while he gently pulled her closer, careful of her brace covered torso. His tongue ran along her lower lip and she opened her mouth slightly to him. Their kiss deepened and Jolene felt dizzy as their lips and tongues battled. Jolene was not completely innocent, but the way Don was kissing her and the way she felt as he did was a completely new and foreign feeling that was absolutely amazing. She moved closer to him, trying to get as close to him as she possibly could. His hand left her hair and slid down her back before settling on her backside and pressing her body tightly to his. She stumbled a bit as she was forced forward and her ribs were jostled, forcing her to tare her lips from his and let out a startled gasp.

"Sorry," he breathed and she shook her head as she opened her eyes.

"Please don't say you're sorry," she whispered. "I've wanted you to do that for so long," she admitted, her eyes locked with his and he slowly smiled as he ran his hand down her face to her neck.

"I'm not sorry for kissing you," he said. "I'm sorry for jostling your side." Jolene smiled as she bit her lip and Don's smile only grew. "So, how long have you wanted me to kiss you?"

"Well, since we met I've been _attracted _to you," she admitted and blushed once more at his smirk, "but the whole can't get you out of my head thing started that night we went out after the Donaldson case."

"You know you don't do this often," he said softly as he moved his hand to her face once more and ran his bent fingers down her cheek. "I like it when you do."

"I only seem to do it around you," Jolene said with a scoff like laugh. "I'm not easy to fluster, but you seem to be able to do it without a problem." He smiled as he leaned into her and kissed her once more, but not nearly as deeply as their first kiss. When Jolene pulled at him to draw him closer, he pulled his lips from hers and his hands left her body making her feel the slight chill in the room. "What's wrong?" she asked, slightly hurt that he pulled away but he shook his head as he looked at her.

"Nothing," he said heavily, "but if we keep this up, I won't be able to hold back for much longer and I'll only end up hurting your ribs again." Jolene gave him a soft smile, and if it was at all possible, he wanted her even more. She really had no idea how beautiful she was standing there with her tussled hair, flushed face, and slightly swollen lips. He had even forgotten that she didn't have a shirt on until his eyes wondered to her chest and fullness of her breasts. Her chest wasn't huge, but it wasn't exactly small; she was just right in his eyes. Jolene's smile morphed into a grin as she grabbed her t-shirt from her dresser and pulled it over her head, drawing Don's eyes back to her face before she walked closer to him.

"I've got at least six more weeks before I'm able to do anything strenuous," she said as she raised her hands to his tie and toyed with the oddly patterned fabric. She traced the pattern of his tie with her right index finger before she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You promise not to hold back at all when I'm healed?" she asked and she was amazed to see the heat rush to his face before he cleared his throat heavily.

"When you're healed, you'll have to tell me when to stop," he said as his hands moved to her upper waist, gently resting over the brace, and she smiled. It was going to be an even more agonizingly long six weeks.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello everyone. I hope you all had a nice weekend and a good Monday. Thanks for your reviews and for reading. Please let me know what you think!

**PLEASE READ:** Just as a warning, there are adult situations in this chapter. So, if you don't like to read that stuff, skip the large middle section of this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 9

"You've healed rather nicely, Jolene," Dr. Packwood said as he looked at Jolene's x-rays in the small examining room. "Are you having any tenderness?" he asked, turning his glasses covered eyes from the lighted unit on the wall and to her as she sat on the bed.

"Not as bad as it was last week," she said. "It's more the muscles than anything."

"Your therapy sessions should help with that. I want you going twice a week," he said and Jolene nodded.

"So, does this mean that I can return to work full time? Am I clear yet?" she asked, tapping her hand on her knee rather anxiously. Dr. Packwood chuckled as he took off his glasses and sat down on his rolling seat and made a note in her chart.

"You can return to work full time," he said, still writing and Jolene smiled brightly as he turned to look at her. "However, you still have to take it easy and you'll have restrictions on lifting and bending."

"Fine," she said as she climbed down from the table and took a slow deep breath, happy to have the brace off. Her chest still ached, but it was just because her muscles weren't use to actually having full movement again. Therapy would help and as Dr. Packwood gave her the return to work slip he completed he smiled at her.

"I want you to set up your first therapy appointments with Polly up front," he said and she nodded, still smiling.

"Thanks, Doc," she said before she grabbed her purse and left the exam room. She fought against the urge to skip down the short hall into the waiting room and won. As he said he would be, Don was still in the waiting room dressed in his jeans and t-shirt. It was his day off and he had volunteered to take her to appointment after her morning shift at the lab. He was paging through a magazine and didn't even notice her come out, so, she let him be and made her therapy appointment with the receptionist at the desk.

"So, Detective, is that your boyfriend?" Polly asked quietly after she handed the two reminder cards to Jolene and she laughed lightly as she took the cards from Polly and tucked them into her purse. Don and Jolene had been quietly dating for the last six weeks. She hadn't even told Lindsey even though her friend had confided in her that she and Danny were dating. It was hard for Jolene to keep that secret from her friend, but Don hadn't said anything and she didn't want to put a label on their relationship just yet.

"Sort of," Jolene said and Polly smiled at her.

"Nice catch," Polly said and Jolene winked as she turned and walked over to Don.

"Hey," she said, tearing the man's eyes from the magazine. He looked up at her before he quickly closed the magazine and stood from his seat, towering over her once again.

"Hey, you set?" he asked and she nodded her head. He reached out and put his hand on her upper waist on the left side only to slowly smile when he didn't feel her brace under his hand. "You're brace is off." She smiled and nodded once more.

"Yeah and I can return to work full time with restrictions," she said and he laughed and shook his head.

"Do you only care about getting back to work?" he asked and Jolene only laughed quietly before she took his hand from her body and pulled him out of the doctor's office, down the street, and into the alley around the corner of the building. She pushed him against the wall and smiled up at his surprised expression.

"No," she said, finally answering his question and pulling his lips down to hers. He smiled against her lips as he pulled her closer and took over the kiss before turning her so she was pinned between him and the brick wall. She pulled her lips from his and looked up at him rather breathlessly. "We should stop before we get carried away. We're in the middle of an alley after all," she said and he grinned.

"My place isn't far," he said and she laughed lightly as she ran her hands down his chest and his slid across her sides.

"Then what are we waiting for?" she asked and he smiled before he pulled back from her and took her hand, leading her from the alley and down the street.

* * *

The door to his place was no more closed behind them and Jolene found herself pinned once more, but that time she was against the cool wooden door. She gasped in surprise when she felt him lift her by the back of her thighs and her legs instinctively wrapped around him as he pressed his body tight to hers against the door. Her muscles protested a bit, but a little pain never hurt anyone. Jolene wrapped her arms around Don's shoulders before he brought his lips down to hers. She moved her right hand to the side of his face as she pulled her lips back from his slightly.

"Where is this coming from?" she asked breathlessly with a small smile.

"Too much?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Not at all," she breathed before she kissed his right cheek. He laughed lightly, but his laugh melted into a sigh as she ran her hand along his cheek and jaw line and her lips moved down to his neck. He tilted his head to the side as she kissed and nipped at his skin and his finger dug into her flesh; not enough to hurt her but enough to earn a gasp against his skin before her lips returned to their work. He growled quietly as her lips moved up to his hear and nipped at his earlobe. "Where's your bedroom?" she whispered and she found herself spun from the door before he walked her over to an open door not far from where they had stood. The next thing she knew she was laying on the bed in soft covers that rivaled her own.

"How's this?" he asked as he hovered over her and she laughed before she bit her lip and looked up at him, her hands running over his chest.

"Better," she said and he shifted his weight to his left hand and brought his right hand to her face, running his thumb along her cheek. "What is it?" she asked when she saw his contemplative look and she moved her hand to his wrist, gently holding it.

"You sure you're up to this?" he asked and she smiled. As he looked down at her he noticed that her smile was different. It was still the same warm smile she always gave him, but it was softer and there was something about the way her eyes were focused on his that made his stomach tighten in a way he never felt before.

"I wouldn't have pulled you into the alley if I wasn't, Don," she chided gently through her smile before she laughed lightly and he joined her as he gave her a half shrug. "Now, quit hesitating and kiss me." He smiled before he leaned down and kissed her, his mouth made its way to her neck and she sighed contentedly as her right hand moved to the back of his head and to his hair while her left ran down his back.

She started to tug at his shirt and he raised his lips from her neck before he sat back on his knees and pulled off the dark material. Jolene instantly sat up before she kissed his chest and ran her hands across his body. Her lips followed as she too moved so she was on her knees and Don pulled her head away from his chest and brought her lips to his in a heated kiss. He moved his hands to her button up blouse, un-tucking the cream colored material from her black slacks, before he started to unbutton it. His lips left hers and went to her neck and shoulder as he exposed her skin after pushing her shirt from her body.

As soon as he had gotten rid of her shirt he pulled his lips from her body and pulled the hair tie from her hair once again sending her dark locks falling around her head. He loved it when her hair was down, but he really didn't know why. His hands were gentle as they moved through her hair and their breath mingled as their lips were mere centimeters apart, neither wanting to break the spell that seemingly settled over them.

Jolene felt like she was on another plane of existence as his hands slid from her hair and to the hooks of her bra on her back.

Her eyes fluttered open and she looked into his eyes. It was then that she realized just how deep her feelings ran for him. She loved him, and she couldn't run from it even if she wanted to. His eyes still locked with hers, Don brushed his lips against hers while with a flick of his wrist he unhooked her bra and he slowly pulled it away. He tossed it aside, not exactly caring where it landed before he kissed her lips once more and gently laid her back on the pillows of his bed. Jolene arched against him as hands roamed and his mouth slowly followed.

"Don," she whispered and he lifted his head, smiling at her deeply flushed face and neck. Her eyes were closed and her head tilted back into the pillows, so, it was obvious she hadn't called out for his attention. He returned his attention back to her body and it didn't take long before her bare body was in front of him. He climbed from the bed and Jolene frowned as she looked at him. Don stared at her and Jolene was suddenly self-conscious. She pulled at the linens to cover herself, but Don stopped her by reaching over her and putting his much larger hand over hers.

"Don't even think about it," he said deeply before he brushed his lips to her temple and then her lips. "You'll spoil my view," he said before he pulled back and started to undo his belt. Soon, Don was hovering above her once more but he was just as bare as he was and her heart was once again pounding wildly in her chest. He kissed her deeply and as much as Jolene loved the fact that Don was in control, he was going far too slow for liking; especially after her realization from only minutes before.

With a soft grunt, Jolene pushed against him and turned their bodies so Don was lying on his back and Jolene was straddling him around his lower waist. However, she was several inches away from her ultimate destination. Don looked up at Jolene, surprised at the sudden change, but he definitely wasn't going to complain. Not when she had his hands pinned above his head and her mesmerizing eyes were darker and her dark waves were wild about her head in a beautiful mussed sort of way.

"Don't move, and keep your hands above your head," she said roughly as she slid her hands down his arms and sat back on him. It took his brain a second to function after feeling her pressed against his stomach, but he soon regained his sense and he raised his eyebrows as a grin formed on his face. "I'm serious. Don't make me get my cuffs."

"Would you really cuff me to the bed?" he asked and Jolene smirked as she rested her hands on his chest and leaned forward, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"You know me," she said, her lips hovering over his. "What do you think I'd do?" The look in her eyes let him know that she probably would cuff him and get off even more on the torture it would be for him to not be able to touch her. "Now, will you hold still?" she asked innocently and he swallowed hard before he gave her a short nod. She kissed him lightly once more before she slowly slid her body against his, touching him everywhere but where he really wanted her to.

She gently traced the scars on his abdomen, knowing their origin after she asked him if he had ever been injured on duty. She peppered his chest and stomach with kisses before moving down even further. Don's brain was on overload with the different sensations her tender touch was sending through him and his hands were clutched into tight fists above his head where he had left them. He was doing surprisingly well at controlling himself until he felt her breath against his growing hardness and he twitched almost painfully. He groaned quietly and clutched at the pillow behind him when she kissed his inner thighs. Don lifted his head and looked down at her and saw her grinning up at him as she moved from his right thigh to his left, blowing against his shaft as she did so, and placing a kiss on his other leg. He was almost positive he was going to rip open the pillow behind him to shreds at the pure anticipation.

"Christ, Jo, what the hell are you doing?" he asked as he tilted his head back again and closed his eyes tightly when her hands gently began rubbing his legs.

"I'm not doing anything, Don," she said far more innocently than she had the right to be. He lifted his head and looked at her with narrowed eyes only to have her laugh lightly as her eyes met his. He opened his mouth to retort only to watch as she took him in her mouth. At the sensation all he could do was curse as his head went back and he heard a distinct ripping sound come from behind his head, but he really didn't care because at that moment all he could focus on was the woman torturing him. After several long minutes, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Fuck, Jo!" he cried before he sat up slightly and grabbed her under the arms before retching her away from him, throwing her on the bed, and nearly plastering his lips to hers. She stiffened under him for second before he felt her arms and legs wrap around him. He pulled his lips from hers and looked down at her before he ran his left hand down her body and brushed against her center. She gasped at his touch and he smiled when he felt just how wet she was. He toyed with her just as she had toyed with him and she was soon breathing much harder and rubbing herself a little harder against his hand. Not wanting her to cum just yet, he moved his hand from her and she whimpered as she opened her eyes.

"Please tell me you have a condom," she breathed heavily as she looked up at him and he nodded before he reluctantly moved away from her. Once protection was set, he was hovering above her once more. He readied himself to enter her, but he paused and his eyes once again met hers. They both were covered with a thin layer of sweat and both were breathing heavily as their eyes remained lock. "Please, Don," she said as she raised a trembling hand to his face and ran her fingers across his cheek before resting against his face as he supported himself just inches above her. He closed the distance between them and as their lips touched he slid into her.

* * *

Jolene woke several hours later and smiled at the steady thumping of Don's heart under her ear. She took a deep breath and raised her head to look at his sleeping face. The sun was just setting and the dim light filtered in through his bedroom window, shining softly on his face. It had been almost four years since she had last been intimate with a man and the three men she had been with prior to Don paled in comparison.

She watched him sleep for several minutes until her stomach growled and she realized she hadn't eaten since the bagel she grabbed at seven that morning when she was on her way into the lab. Carefully climbing out of the bed so she wouldn't wake Don, she slipped out of the covers and found her underwear after several minutes of searching. Don had tossed them from her and sent them across the room. She wasn't sure where her shirt was, but she spotted his t-shirt so she grabbed the cotton shirt and pulled it over her head before she quietly padded out of the room.

She made her way into the kitchen and spotted a box of cereal on top of the fridge. Jolene grabbed the box and smiled at the box of frosted flakes before checking the fridge for milk. She found the half gallon and after setting the box of cereal on the counter she pulled the milk from the fridge and saw it had a week before it expired. You never could be too careful with bachelors, they tended to not realize their milk had gone sour until they went to take a swig out of the container and got a mouth full of chunks. After another minute of searching she found Don's cereal bowls and a spoon. She walked around to the stools he had set up on the other side and settled herself down for a very late lunch/dinner of frosted flakes.

Jolene was half way through her bowl of cereal, sitting with her legs crossed and swinging her leg gently, when she heard a soft chuckle from behind her. She looked over her left shoulder and smiled at Don as he leaned on the doorframe of his bedroom clad only in his boxers.

"Hope you don't mind," she said gesturing to her bowl with her spoon. "I was starving and I didn't want to wake you."

"I don't mind," he said. He pushed off the doorframe and walked over to her, kissing her temple, before brushing past her to grab a bowl and spoon for himself. He sat down on the stool next to her and poured himself a bowl of cereal and looked at her with a smile. He took a bite and Jolene laughed lightly before looking at her bowl and taking another bite of her own cereal. The air around them was light and comfortable and when he gently touched her knee she turned her eyes to him and he rubbed her thigh. She smiled at him and leaned closer to him, pressing her lips to his in a brief kiss. When she pulled away Don smiled at her. "You know, you look good in my shirt."

"Well, you'll have to give me an excuse to wear them more often," she said lightly and he laughed as he nodded. If he had any say in the matter that would definitely be happening again in the very near future.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry about the wait! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 10

The following morning Jolene was walking onto a scene with her kit in hand. She'd never been more grateful for a case in her life and actually getting out of the lab. Lucas had also called her that morning and she hated that she had to tell him she couldn't make it home for his wedding. She explained why and he had said some very colorful words to her for not calling them and letting them know what happened to her. He said he was going to tell her folks, and she told him to wait until the evening so when she got off shift she could handle the hour long 'talking to' her mother was going to give her.

"Glad to see you're back, Jo," Mac said as she walked up to him and she smiled, "but I don't want you to overdo it."

"Mac, I promise I'm perfectly fine," she assured him through her smile and Mac assessed her for a second. She looked better than she had since the incident at the warehouse and even though he'd been London for nearly all of her healing time she seemed different than she had the day before.

"All right, let's get to work," he said and her smile grew before he advised her of what they had so far and the duo began processing.

* * *

"Okay, I know you're happy to be back at work, but you haven't stopped smiling all day," Lindsey said as the two women had broke away from the lab long enough to grab lunch at a small café not far from the lab. "What's going on with you?"

"You won't believe me if I told you," Jolene said and Lindsey raised an eyebrow before she opened the door for Jolene to go into the café. She quickly followed and once they were seated, Lindsey continued pressing her friend.

"Try me," Lindsey said and Jolene laughed nervously.

"Well, Don and I have been seeing each other for a little while," she said and Lindsey grinned.

"It's about time," Lindsey said and Jolene was surprised by that comment.

"What?"

"You weren't kidding when you said that you had trouble reading into your own relationships," Lindsey said. "You and Don flirted worse than Danny and I."

"I didn't flirt, I teased him all the time," Jolene said with a frown, but Lindsey just scoffed.

"Same thing with you two," Lindsey said. Jolene laughed lightly and shook her head as their waiter came up and took their drink order. "So?" Lindsey asked and Jolene raised an eyebrow.

"So, what?" she asked.

"So, how was it?" Lindsey asked and she smiled when she saw a deep blush grace Jolene's cheeks.

"I refuse to answer that question. I don't want to know what your love life with Danny is like, and I'm not going to tell you mine with Don," she said. Lindsey laughed and Jolene soon joined her. Jolene was glad to be back at work and to finally have a chance for some real girl talk with Lindsey.

* * *

After two weeks, life had returned to normal for Jolene with the exception of her and Don's relationship. They were of course far closer than what should have been allowed. She was down in the precinct after bringing a guy from interrogation into booking and before she headed back to the lab she stopped in to see Don. He was standing at his desk paging through a file and she smiled when she saw him. She'd actually worn her hair down that day especially for him because whenever they weren't at work and were just together, he always pulled her hair out of whatever binding she put it in. She figured he liked it when she wore her hair down and since they hadn't been intimate after that first night she was hoping to entice him for later on should work continue as smoothly as it had been that morning.

"Hey," she said as she came to a stop at his desk and leaned back against the hard wood.

"Hey," he said with a glance up from his file, only to fully look at her after realizing who it was. She laughed at his smile and nodded her head at the file in his hand.

"Something interesting?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Not really, just a few reports on a couple of break-ins that might have something to do with a John Doe we found outside a Brooklyn building last night," he said as he closed the file and sat it down on his desk. "What are you doing here?"

"I just brought a guy into booking after Mac and I interrogated him, thought I'd stop by and see if you were at your desk," she said as she tucked some of her hair behind her ears and he grinned.

"You bringing in the bad guys already this morning?" he asked and she chuckled.

Mac came into the room to make some copies of the booking papers for their file upstairs when he heard Jolene's laugh. He followed the sound and smiled when he saw her with Don. It hadn't taken him long to realize why Jolene had seemed so different once she'd gotten back to work. All it took was one case with Flack and the look that passed between the two on the scene. The look she had given the detective was the same look Claire used to give him when they first started dating. Shaking his head he looked away to finish what he had came in there to do.

"You know it," she said and they just looked at each for a few beats before Jolene softly spoke. "So, I was wondering if we both get off shift when we're supposed to tonight, do you want to come by my place?"

"What do you have in mind?" he asked with his grin still in place.

"Oh, I don't know," she said nonchalantly with a shrug but a smile on her face all the same, "a bite to eat and maybe a movie or some other form of entertainment." He laughed quietly then and took half a step closer to her before his phone rang. He sighed before he raised one finger at her, telling her not to move, and answered his phone.

"Flack," he said and Jolene looked away from him and at the cement floor as his conversation continued and she realized he was wrapping it up. "Give me a couple of hours and I'll get back to you on that," he said and she smiled at him as he hung up the phone. He'd been about to answer her again when the double doors to the precinct were pushed open by a naked man with some sort of helmet with wires on his head.

"I've killed him!" the man said and Jolene stood up straight and drew her weapon from her right hip at the same time Don did. The man collapsed to the floor and a few officers made to go over to him until a voice cut through the air.

"Get back! Get back!" came Mac's voice and Jolene and Don kept their eyes focused on the collapsed man as they slowly moved forward as Mac did. The man was shaking and gasping for breath on the floor as Mac kneeled down next to him.

"I've killed him," the man repeated as he reached his hand up.

"Killed who?" Mac asked gently.

"Kevin. Kevin Murray. Chelsea dorms – 9:45," the man said before he reached up and grabbed Mac's arm of his suit jacket. "Do you hear me?" he asked.

"It's 10:15," Don said quickly his eyes still trained on the man and Mac looked up at him before he looked down at the man once more.

"Was that this morning?" Mac asked and the man shook his head 'no.' "Last night?"

"No," the man said before he grabbed at Mac and pulled Mac closer to him as he raised up slightly. He whispered something to Mac before he collapsed to the floor once more, that time he was no longer breathing. The officers and detective's un-tensed and lowered their weapons, all with confused looks on their faces.

"What the hell just happened?" Jolene asked as she holstered her weapon, seemingly voicing everyone's question.

* * *

A few hours later, Jolene, Sheldon, Mac, and Don walked into a room of the building a transmitter pulled out of their victim's hand led them to. The man their victim had confessed to killing was alive and well at the moment because their victim had confessed to killing him the next day, and the whole case just kept getting weirder and weirder. She frowned as she walked around the room with the men doing much of the same.

"Is this what I think it is?" Sheldon asked as he moved closer to the large machine set up in the middle of the room.

"It's a very elaborate attempt at time travel," Mac said with his usual contemplative look on his face. Don gave the man a disbelieving look before he smirked.

"You guys talking time machine?" he asked. "Whoa. Paging Dr. Who."

"You mean Dr. Browning," Sheldon said. "Guys, this is our John Doe."

"Got any pictures of him in a straitjacket?" Don asked.

"Believe me, Flack, this is no madman," Sheldon said. "I've read about this guy. Dr. Martin Browning was a cutting-edge genius. He even won a Klimko Price for Advance math and Physics."

"So, what, now he's graduated to time travel?" Don asked dryly.

"Well, if anybody could do it, it would be him," Sheldon said and Jolene rolled her eyes.

"Looks like this is where his time finally ran out," Mac said as he kneeled down next to a pile of broken glass and blood spatter.

"Time travel is impossible," she said. "This is seriously like something out of a bad science fiction movie." Don smiled at her as he sent a wink her way.

"Let's get to work," Mac said through the smile on his face.

* * *

The following night, Jolene had just climbed out of the shower and wrapped in a large dark blue towel with a similar one wrapped around her hair. The Browning case was now closed and behind them, but as Dr. Browning had predicted Kevin Murray was indeed killed when he said he would. However, it was not by Dr. Browning's hands but at the hands of the man who killed Dr. Browning. A gambling addict who had weaseled his way into Dr. Browning's work. Because of the case, she and Don hadn't gotten their night together and as she got off shift Don was still on following a lead on the John Doe case he had yet to close from a few days earlier.

Sighing, Jolene quickly padded into bedroom and unwrapped her hair before she started to towel dry it. She ran a brush through her long hair and as she did so she seriously considered cutting her hair. It had been a long time since she did, but other than causing her to use an awful lot of shampoo and conditioner it really didn't cause her a lot of problems. Plus, she also didn't think that Don would particularly like it if she cut. She silly smile that always came to her face when she thought of Don made its way across her face and she laughed at herself before she put her brush down and opened a drawer to pull out fresh underwear and her pajamas when a knock sounded on her door.

Jolene frowned as she walked out of her bedroom and went out into the living room and over to the door. She raised up on her tip toes and looked out the peephole only to smile when she saw Don standing on the other side. As if sensing her looking through the peep hole he held up a brown take out bag with a smile as he looked at the peephole and she laughed before she lowered herself to her flat feet and unlocked the two deadbolts but left the chain on. She opened the door, holding her towel tightly to her chest, and smiled at him.

"Detective," she said coyly and Don made sure to keep his eyes on hers. However, he was finding it rather difficult considering she was standing there clad only in a towel with her hair still wet but neat. "I didn't buzz you into the building." Don laughed lightly and stepped closer to the door.

"Mrs. Knight let me in as she was coming out. I've got a certain charm with the older ladies," he said and Jolene laughed.

"Well, I'm almost four years younger than you," she said, "you think it will work with me to let you come in?"

"Maybe," he said with a grin, "but I think the burgers and fries I picked up from Maurice's will charm you even more." Jolene smiled before she closed the door and removed the chain before she opened it fully.

"You sure know the way to a girl's heart, don't you?" she asked and Don stepped inside with a laugh.

"I try," he said and Jolene closed the door, locking it once more. "So, did you get all dressed up hoping I'd be stopping by?"

"Ha ha," Jolene teased. "I just got out of the shower." He smiled as he walked over to her small dining table and chairs, setting the bag with the two Styrofoam containers that held the cheeseburgers and curly fries he ordered for them. "You know where everything is, I'm just going to get dressed." She started to head to her room when Don caught her waist and quickly pulled her back.

"Why?" he asked, leaning down and pressing his cheek to her wet hair before gently laying a kiss on her right temple. "I like what you're wearing now." She chuckled.

"Of course you do. I'm only in a towel," she said and she turned around to look up at him. "As much as I love the way you're looking at me right now, I really don't want to eat dressed like this." Don smiled before kissing her lips lightly.

"Fine," he said. "I'll get your mustard." She laughed again before she nodded her head and slipped out his arms.

"I've got some beer in the fridge too." He chuckled and gave her a curt nod.

"You got it," he said before he watched her saunter away and into the bedroom, closing the door tightly behind her.

* * *

"Thank you for dinner," Jolene said after they were done and as she started to clean up the mess, but Don stopped her.

"You're welcome, and that can wait," he said as he grabbed her hands and wrapped her arms around his neck before he picked her up bridal style. Jolene laughed lightly as she looked up at him.

"What are you doing?" she asked he gave her a look.

"What do you think I'm doing?" he asked as he started carrying her to her bedroom. Jolene didn't say anything as he turned the light on with his elbow and carried her over to her bed where he sat her down on her feet next to the bed. She moved her right hand from his neck to the side of his face as she looked up at him with a small smile.

"Do you have any idea how amazing you are?" I asked and he frowned.

"For bringing you dinner and then carrying you into room?" he asked and she laughed as she shook her head.

"No, because of everything you do," she said and she pulled his lips down to hers and she kissed him deeply. Don's grip on her upper waist tightened as he pulled her close. He turned and hoisted her up onto the bed, never breaking their kiss. However, Jolene broke away and laughed as he crashed on top of her and he chuckled as he looked down at her. Their eyes met as their laughter died and he pushed her hair from her face; and as they looked at each other the words escaped her lips before she could stop them. "I love you, Don," she said softly and he smiled as he looked down at her.

"I love you too, Jo," he said and she smiled back.

"Really?" she asked and he laughed as he gave her a look.

"Really," he assured her before she laughed and raised her head up to him, capturing his lips were hers. Don smiled against her lips and returned her kiss just as heatedly. It wasn't long before they were lost to each other.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey everyone! I hope you all are having a good week so far. Thanks for reading and for your reviews. I hope you like this chapter, and as always let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 11

Don groaned quietly as the ringing of his cell phone woke him from a rather pleasant dream involving the woman in his arms who was still sound asleep. He sighed as he opened his eyes, pressed a kiss to Jolene's bare shoulder, and grabbed the offending phone from the nightstand behind him. Without even looking at the ID, he hit the talk button and pressed it to his ear. "Flack," he said as he sat up slowly so he wouldn't wake Jolene and swung his legs over the edge of the bed before he began the search for his boxers.

"Don?" came Stella's voice and he grinned at the surprise in her tone and when he triumphantly found his boxers.

"Yeah, Stel, what's up?" he asked as he held the phone to his ear with his shoulder and pulled on his boxers.

"Why are you answering Jo's cell?" Stella asked and Don's hands stilled on the rim of his boxers as he adjusted them around his waist. Frowning he grabbed the phone and pulled it away from his ear only to see it was indeed Jolene's phone and not his. His was still tucked in the back pocket of the jeans he had changed into before he came over to her place the night before.

"Well, there's a very good explanation for that," Don said once he pressed the phone to his ear once more and Stella laughed lightly, not really needing the explanation. She wasn't one of the top detectives in the crime lab for nothing.

"One that I don't really want to hear," Stella said. "Just tell Jo that Mac and I need her to meet us at the lab in an hour earlier than her shift, we got a case and we need her help with the evidence."

"I'll tell her," Don said with a slight grimace at being caught. He knew the only that really knew about their relationship was Lindsey and that wasn't until just the other day. However, he'd blown their cover by answering the wrong phone. Stella laughed once more before she put him out of his misery.

"Thanks, bye," she said and she ended the call. Don sighed again and put Jolene's cell back on the nightstand. He crawled slightly onto the bed and reached over to Jolene with his right hand, shaking her shoulder slightly. She took a deep breath and sighed heavily as she turned so she was looking up at him with a sleep filled smile.

"Morning," she said and Don smiled at her.

"Morning," he repeated. "Stella called and she and Mac need you to head in. They got a case they need your help on."

"Did she call you?" Jolene asked with a small frown as she sat up, pressing the covers to her bare chest, while Don stood and scratched the back of his neck with a chuckle.

"No, she called you. I answered your phone thinking it was mine," he said and Jolene giggled and shook her head before she pointed to her robe that was draped over the chair she had resting in the corner of the room.

"Would you hand me that please?" she asked and Don did as she asked and watched as she pulled on her robe and combed from the bed to stand in front of him. "I'm going to take a shower. Care to join me?" she asked, placing her hands on his chest and he grinned as she looked down at her.

"I'd love to, but I need to head home and get ready for work myself," he said and she pouted which made him chuckle before he leaned in and kissed her chastely. "Sorry," he said when he pulled back and she sighed but smiled as she ran her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders.

"You'll have to make it up to me later," she said and he smiled as he put his hands on her waist.

"Oh, you can count on that," he said before he leaned in and kissed her again, but far deeper than he had before. She whimpered when he pulled away, but he just smiled down at her as he tucked her hair behind her ear and she opened her eyes. "You shower while I get dressed and make your bed. Once you're on your way to the lab, I'll head home."

"Okay," she said before she kissed his chin and slipped out of his arms. Don watched her walk away with a small smile on his face before he set to searching for the rest of his clothes.

They both had been a little enthusiastic when ridding each other of their clothes the night before and he found his t-shirt on top of the curtain rod where it must have landed after she tossed it off of him. He was laughing to himself as he pulled his shirt on over his head and finished fastening his jeans and belt. He was making the bed when he heard Jolene shout from the bathroom.

"Donald!" she yelled and he dropped the pillow onto the bed and rushed over to the bathroom door, opening it without knocking.

"What?" he asked. The bathroom was steamy from the quick shower she had taken just moments before and she was standing before the partially wiped off mirror with a towel wrapped around her and her hair dripping with a shocked expression on her face before she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"What is this?" she asked as she put her hand just under her collarbone, pointing out a mark on the skin that hadn't been there the night before.

"To me, it looks like a hickey," he said with a grin and Jolene reached over and smacked his arm as she laughed.

"I've never had a hickey and thanks to you I can't say that now," she said and he caught her hand as she went to playfully smack him again and pulled her close. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked with a smile as she looked up at him and he chuckled.

"At least no one will see it," he said before he kissed her. She was harder for him to resist when was playful, and he couldn't explain it. She sighed into their kiss and his hand started to tug at her towel. However, before they could get much further the quiet of her apartment was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, this time it was definitely Don's. "Damn it all," he said roughly as he stepped back from her and pulled the ringing phone from his pocket. "Flack," he said as he answered it, his eyes trained on Jolene who was smiling at him. "All right, I'm on my way." He hung up his phone and kissed her temple. "Looks like we're both on early. That was dispatch, DB on 64th," he said.

"You should go home and get ready then," she said, tightening her towel. He nodded and she kissed his cheek.

"I'll see you later," he said and she smiled at him before he kissed her chastely once more and left. Jolene sighed quietly before she rushed into her room. As she quickly readied for work, she mentally prepared herself for the endless jabs Stella was bound to send her way.

* * *

"So, you and Don?" Stella asked the second she saw Jolene in the lab going over the trace Mac asked her to and she was surprised to see the light pink color that filled Jolene's cheeks. She'd never seen the young woman blush before and it was rather endearing to see it.

"Yes, Don and me," Jolene said, smiling despite the mild embarrassment, and Stella's small smile grew.

"It's about time, you two are good for each other," she said and Jolene decided to ignore the comment that mirrored Lindsey's and filled Stella in on what she gathered so far from the evidence in front of her.

Jolene was getting good use out of the punching bag at her gym. It was her day off after three weeks of non-stop work and with Don on shift, she didn't feel like sitting around her apartment. It had been far too long since she had a decent workout and the eighteen pounds she had put on since the warehouse incident was proof of that. When she had mentioned it to Don, he said she looked great but he loved her. He would tell her she looked beautiful if she had an arm growing out of her head to spare her feelings.

* * *

"Hey," a baritone voice said behind her and Jolene stopped her punching. She was panting slightly as she turned around to see a tall rather broad blonde haired man smiling at her. His brown eyes flickered over her body before settling with her blue eyes. She had seen him at the gym a few times before, nodding at him in passing when he smiled at her.

"Hi," she said before grabbed her water bottle and took a drink. She turned to go back to her routine when he spoke again.

"It's been a while since I've seen you around here," he said and she looked at him, meeting his gaze evenly. "Were you out of town?" Jolene wanted to smile at his attempt of conversation, she really did, but she knew smiling would give the guy the wrong idea.

"No," she said slowly. "I was hurt, actually."

"Oh, well, you're obviously doing better," he said and she chuckled.

"Obviously," she said before she started to turn again.

"I'm Brent," he said quickly and she looked at him once more.

"Jolene," she said and he smiled.

"Southern belle, huh?" he asked and Jolene laughed a little harder at that.

"Not really," she said. "The daughter of a peanut farmer is no southern belle."

"Well, how about I take you out to dinner and you can tell me more about it," he said, stepping a little closer. Jolene took a step back and gave him a small smile as she shook her head.

Don walked into the gym Jolene frequented after his shift. She left him a message that if he came to her place looking for her and she wasn't there that she was at the gym. He knew she always went into the weight room to use the punching bag and he froze when he saw a blonde haired man standing a little too close for comfort next to his girl.

"Sorry, but my boyfriend really wouldn't like that," she said as she turned around, and Don knew then that the guy had asked her out. As she turned, the man caught her arm and Don seethed as he started towards them. Startled by the guy's reaction, Jolene didn't say anything at first and he spoke before her senses came to her.

"Come on, you don't really have a boyfriend do you?" he asked, pulling Jolene closer and she'd been about to lay into him when a voice cut her off.

"She does, and if you'd turn around, you'd meet him," Don said, his accent thickening in his anger. Brent's hand left Jolene's arm as he turned and looked at Don, Jolene sighed quietly and moved over to Don's side.

"It's okay, Don," she said putting her hand on his chest that was raising and lowering rather quickly. Don put his arm around her and his hand griped her waist tightly as he pulled her as close as he could. "He was just leaving," Jolene said as she turned her eyes to the tall blonde man who held up his hands while he looked at Don.

"Sorry man," he said before he walked out of the weight room and down the hall to the locker room. Don looked down at Jolene, still agitated but not with her.

"I don't want you to come here alone anymore," he said as his grip loosened on her waist and she slid back.

"Well, unless you get me a punching bag I will be," she said and he sighed. "Don, I'm a big girl and I could have handled him fine on my own. What are you doing here anyway?" she asked, hoping to change the subject.

"I'm off and I got your message as I drove to your place," he said. "You left it a half hour ago, so, I knew you'd still be here. You ready to go?"

"No, and you can go to my place and wait for me," she said. She had given him keys to her building and apartment, just as he had given her keys to his. "I'll be there in about an hour."

"Jo, I'm not letting you stay here alone," he said and she sighed heavily as she looked at him.

"Don, don't be stupid. I've been coming to this gym for as long as I've been in New York and that was the first time any guy has ever came up to me. Go to my place and wait, please," she said as she reached out and grabbed at his unbuttoned suit jacket. "You can even time me if you want."

"Jo-," he started but she interrupted.

"I'll make your patience worth your while," she said in a whisper as she stepped closer to him and closed the distance between them. She was sweaty and probably smelled; probably not the best seduction look, but Don didn't seem to mind. His light eyes seemed to darken as a small smile settled across his face. "What do you say?"

"One hour, and if you're not there in an hour, I'm coming to get you," he said and she laughed lightly before she raised up and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Good and just so you know, you have absolutely no reason to worry about another guy trying to get in my pants," she said and his eyebrows rose. "You're the only one I want and need." He chuckled before he kissed her once more and Jolene slipped away when their kiss ended. "See you in an hour," she said and he nodded. "Love you."

"Back at you," he said as she turned and he smacked her backside, which only made her laugh and shake her head. Grinning to himself, Don left the gym and headed to Jolene's place with a little bit of a spring in his step.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading and sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, I haven't had much time to write lately. I hope you all like this chapter and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 12

The holidays were quickly approaching and Jolene found herself wondering exactly where all the time went. It had gone by far quicker than she ever imagined and it was hard for her to believe that she'd been at the lab for nearly a year and a half. It was sleeting out as she stood next to the window in her living room and looked up at the sky in between the high rises with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. It wasn't quite cold enough for snow, but it was cold enough for Jolene. She still wasn't used to the winter weather of New York City, but she wouldn't change anything in her life at that moment. Well, there may have been one thing.

She wished she would be going home for Christmas like she had done the year before, but she was on duty Christmas Eve and on call Christmas Day. So, the upcoming holiday would be spent in the confines of lab, but she didn't mind it so much. She loved her job and besides, Danny was going to be on too and probably the others as well; so, she was going to have plenty of company.

"Jo?" came Don's curious voice and she turned around, smiling as she looked at him and as he adjusted his boxers after having pulled them on. "What are you doing up?" he asked before he ran his hand across the top of his head and through his short hair.

"I couldn't sleep and I made myself some hot chocolate to try and relax," she said as she turned to look out the window and Don came up behind her settling his arms around her waist and kissed her robe covered shoulder.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, resting his head on her shoulder and she sighed quietly before she turned her head to look at his sleep filled face.

"Nothing really," she said. "I'm just restless and a little uptight." Don smiled and caught her lips in a kiss.

"Come back to bed, we're both on early tomorrow," he said after he pulled his lips from hers and raised his hand to the mug in her hands. He took it from her before he grabbed her hand with his free hand and pulled her along. Jolene laughed lightly as she let him pull her along and stop at the kitchen long enough to deposit her mug on the counter before moving on to the bedroom. "I'll help you relax," he said before he kissed her soundly and untied her robe. As his warm hands pushed the soft cotton from her body, her worries were forgotten and all she knew was him.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!" Jolene exclaimed after she found herself flat on her back. She slipped on a clear sheet of ice outside of a building that housed her latest crime scene and where Mac was waiting. A chuckle above her reminded her that she had come out to the scene with Danny.

"Come on, Atlanta, up on your feet," he said before he put his kit down on the ground and hoisted her onto her feet and away from the offending patch of ice. He was still chuckling as she brushed the snow from her back and glared daggers at him. She thought he was over calling her by the stupid nickname he insisted on giving her. When she had first told Lindsey her frustrations over it, she told her not to take it too personally because Danny called her Montana for the entire time she'd been there.

"It's not funny, Danny," she said with a slightly shaking voice thanks to the cold. With Christmas three days away a cold front moved in over the city and snow had fallen, covering everything in a blanket of white and obviously a thin layer of ice.

"You're not hurt are you?" he asked and she shook her head negatively even though she was still glaring at him. "Then yeah, it's funny," he said as he grabbed his kit and headed inside. The uniforms that were in hearing distance chuckled and Jolene rolled her eyes before she carefully made inside. She didn't want to end up on the pavement again. Danny was waiting for her just inside the door of the building, smiling as he looked at her. "What took you so long?"

"Shut up, I didn't want to end up on my ass again," she said before she playfully punched his shoulder and trudged up the stairs. Danny laughed a little louder before he followed her up the stairs and thankfully he was behind her because if he would have been ahead of her she would have grabbed his coat and pulled him down the stairs.

* * *

"How's that for an early Christmas present?" Danny asked as he and Jolene left the interrogation room and their suspect in the hands of the uniform who was going to take him down to booking.

"How's what?" Jolene asked with a smile and Danny adjusted his glasses.

"Getting in the face of a guy with a fierce superiority complex over women," Danny said. The man who had murdered their female victim was the woman's boyfriend, and apparently she had gotten the courage to leave him after two years of abuse. He hadn't taken it too well and tracked her down to a friend's apartment where he broke in and murdered the pour girl. Their victim was only twenty-two. "You got to admit you were having fun and on Christmas Eve no less." Jolene's smile grew as she nodded and tightened her ponytail.

"It was all right," she said and Danny chuckled.

"You're on call tomorrow?" Danny asked and Jolene nodded.

"Yeah, but if you need another pair of hands don't worry about calling me," Jolene said. "I'll just be spending the day in my apartment and probably on the phone with my mother who will undoubtedly be calling to whine about how I'm not there for the holiday. So, save me if you can." Danny laughed and nodded.

"Actually, you'll be with me," Don said after he heard Jolene voice her plans for the holiday to Danny. He had told her about his plans on going out to his father's place since he had the day free, and he assumed that she understood they were going together. Obviously he'd been wrong. Jolene turned around and gave him a small smile as Danny grinned.

"I thought you were going to Queens to spend the day with your dad," Jolene said and Don smiled.

"I am, and you're going with me," he said and Jolene raised an eyebrow. Danny laughed and patted both Don and Jolene on the back.

"I'll see you guys around, Merry Christmas," he said and Jolene glanced at him as he started to walk away, but he was already too far away for her to wish him the same. She took Don's hand and led him out of the middle of the squad room to a private corner in the nearly deserted hall.

"What do you mean I'm going with you? I'm on call. You don't want your family's holiday to be interrupted by me getting called off to a scene do you?" Jolene asked and Don chuckled as he shook his head.

"You're not going to use that as an excuse to get out of meeting my family, Jo," Don said. "Besides, it won't ruin anything. I can't count the number of times Pop was called in to work during the holidays."

"You really want me to meet your family?" she asked and he smiled as he raised his hand and tapped her chin with his index finger.

"Why wouldn't I want you to meet them? I love you," he finished with a whisper and Jolene smiled. If they weren't at work, Jolene would have kissed him then and there.

"I love you too," she said back, which only made his smile grow.

* * *

The next morning, Jolene was trying to figure out what to wear and failing miserably. She usually wasn't one of those women that took hours to decide what to wear. Usually, as long it was clean, looked nice, and fit her she was good to go; but she wanted to make a nice impression on Don's family. Don told her it wasn't anything formal, and casual was fine but she didn't know what kind of casual he meant. She didn't know if he meant jeans and a sweater casual or black slacks and nice blouse casual. Jolene heard her apartment door open and she let out a frustrated sigh. She knew it was Don and that he was there to pick her up, but she was far from ready. Her hair was still in the hot curlers she had put in and she was only dressed in her underwear standing in front of her closet trying to decide what to wear.

"I think you're a little underdressed," Don said as he leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not that I don't love what you have on, but it's a little cold out for that outfit." He was smiling as he looked at her and Jolene rolled her eyes.

"I know I'm not ready, but I don't know what to wear," she said before she walked over to him and he stood up only to have her unbutton his coat and open it. She took one look at what he was wearing and walked over to her closet. Don chuckled as he watched her pull out a pair of dark jeans and a dark blue v-neck sweater he had yet to see her wear. "If you would have told me it was jeans and a sweater casual I wouldn't have spent the last hour and a half debating," she said as she tugged on her jeans and he disappointedly watched as she dressed. He laughed as she pulled on the sweater and walked over to closet where she pulled out a pair of black boots.

"I told you it was casual," he said with a shrug.

"There are two types of casual, Don," she said, pulling on her boots as she sat on the bed, and Don laughed yet again.

"I've learned my lesson then," he said with a smile and Jolene stood before she stalked past him and into the bathroom. "Why are you so nervous?" he asked as he followed her. He watched from the open door as she removed the large curlers from her hair and smiled as the normally wavy dark locks fell beautifully around her head and shoulders in soft curls.

"Because I want your family to like me," she said. "If you haven't realized, Don, I'm a little brass."

"All the more reason they'll love you," he said and she looked at him as she held the last curler in her hand. "We're blue collar, Jo, not Wall Street. My Pop will love you all the more for your mouth." Jolene laughed as she put the curler in its holster and grabbed her mascara from the bathroom vanity. Don loved watching her 'make' herself beautiful as she said one day. He thought Jolene looked her best when she woke up in the morning, bed head and all.

"Okay," she breathed as she put down the powder brush after swiping some on her face and turned to look at him. "How do I look?" she asked and he smiled.

"Perfect as always, but something's missing," he said and she frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror and then down at her body.

"What's missing?" she asked before looking up at him.

"This," he said as he pulled a neatly wrapped small long box from his coat pocket. "Merry Christmas," he whispered and she smiled as she took the box from him. "Well, just don't look at it, Jo, open it," he said with a laugh and Jolene blushed before she did as he said, putting the paper in bathroom wastebasket before opening the black box and gasping.

"Don, it's beautiful," she said as she fingered the silver circle locket that rested on the black velvet inside the box. Don smiled before he took the box from her and then took the locket and chain out of the box.

"Turn around," he said and she did so, gathering her hair from her neck so he could secure it around her neck. Once he did, she lowered her hand and turned around, fingering the locket as he rested on her chest. The chain was long enough for her to pull the locket up for her to look at it and she opened it out of curiosity. A small laugh escaped her lips when she saw Don's smiling face looking back at her. She looked up at him, smiling so big her face was starting to hurt.

"Thank you," she said before she closed the small distance between them and kissed him chastely. Don started to deep the kiss after grabbing her waist, but she pulled back and he looked at her with a frown, which made her laugh. "Don't move," she said before she went into her bedroom and Don turned in the small hall just as she came back out. "Merry Christmas," she said as she handed him a small box. Smiling Don unwrapped it, tucking the paper in his coat pocket before he opened the box to see one of the nicest watches he had ever seen. Jolene took his silence negatively and she bit her lower lip in worry that he didn't like it. "You mentioned the band on your watch broke last week, and I thought-," she started but didn't get to finish when Don captured her lips with his, ending any doubt she had about him not liking the gift she had gotten him.

"I love it, Jo," he said and she smiled as she looked up at him. He quickly put the watch on around his right wrist and sighed contentedly. It had been weird not wearing a watch for the last week and the one Jolene had gotten him fit perfectly. "Thank you," he said looking at her again before kissing her chastely. When he pulled away from her, you couldn't wash the smile from his face if you tried. "Come on, we're going to be late."

"Okay," she said lightly before grabbing her keys and her coat and following him out of the building. Her stomach was in knots and she hoped that Don was right and that his dad would like her.


	13. Chapter 13

Wow. Over a month since I last updated. I really didn't mean for it to take me so long. All I can say is real life sucks. I don't know about this chapter, but I've already got 14 started, so, hopefully I'll have it up soon. Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 13

Don smiled and glanced at Jolene as they walked up the porch step of the house he had grown up in. She was worrying her bottom lip, but when she noticed him looking she plastered a quick nervous smile on her face. He laughed lightly as he adjusted his grip on the bag that held the presents they had bought for his family and opened the screen door. "It's just Pop, my brother and his wife, their two kids. My younger sister had to work, so she won't be here," Don said, his hand poised to knock. "Don't worry, Jo, they'll love you," he told her again before he knocked on the door.

"Yeah," she said tightly as her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Don took her right hand into his left and gave it a squeeze as the door swung open to reveal a little girl, who was no more than five or six, with dark curls bouncing around her head as she started jumping up and down.

"Uncle Donnie! Uncle Donnie!" she cried before she launched herself at Don. Don laughed lightly as he let go of Jolene's hand, put the bag of presents down inside the house, and scooped up the little girl in his arms. He settled her on his right side as she hugged his neck tightly, and Don took Jolene's hand once more. The girl looked at Jolene and gave her a toothless smile. It was then that Jolene realized the little girl had eyes that were just a shade darker than Don's light blue eyes. "Hi," she said brightly and Jolene smiled.

"Hi," she said back as they entered the much warmer house and she closed the door behind her.

"Lily, Where's your Mom, Dad, and Grandpa?" Don asked the girl and she turned her eyes from Jolene to Don.

"Daddy forgot the bag of presents, so, he went to get them," Lily said and Jolene laughed lightly at the girls' tone. "Mommy's in the kitchen with Brady." The three of them walked down the small hall next to the stairs and into the kitchen. A woman with shoulder length light brown hair was standing in front of the stove stirring the contents of a large Dutch oven and the smell in the air was wonderful. A dark haired toddler sat in a high chair not far from the island in the kitchen, hitting a spoon on the white tray as he laughed happily. Jolene smiled at the sight of the little boy and Don squeezed her hand, which made her look up at him. He smiled at her and gave her an encouraging wink before Lily called out.

"Mommy!" Lily said and the woman looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Don and her smile only grew when her brown eyes fell on Jolene. She wiped her hands on a dishtowel before she walked over to them, her eyes on Jolene.

"Hi Jolene, I'm Kelly, Darren's brother," she said holding out her hand and Jolene let go of Don's hand and took Kelly's hand into hers. Don had told her about his older brother and his wife; and Kelly looked every bit as sweet as Don said she was. Obviously, Don had told them about her if Kelly knew who she was before she even said anything.

"It's nice to meet you," Jolene said and Kelly's smile grew.

"Don didn't tell us you were a southern girl. Where are you from?" Kelly asked and Jolene laughed as they let go of each other's hands.

"Georgia," Jolene said. "I grew up on a peanut farm in rural Georgia."

"Really?" Kelly asked and Jolene nodded. Kelly looked like she was ready to launch a million questions at Jolene, but Don interrupted.

"Come on, Kel, you can play twenty questions later if you want," Don said as he put the little girl down and Kelly turned her smile to Don. "Where's Pop?"

"Right here," a voice said from behind them and Jolene and Don turned slightly to look back down the hall they had just walked down. Jolene smiled at the older man that stood at the base of the stairs a smile on his aged face. If it wasn't for the man's gray hair, fuller lips, and slightly larger nose; Don would be identical to his father. He started towards them and turned his dark eyes to Jolene.

"Pop, this is Jolene," Don said, officially introducing her to Don Flack, Sr., and Jolene kept the smile on her face even though her stomach was suddenly in knots again.

"I sort of figured that out, Donnie," Don, Sr., said with a smile as he looked at his son. "I didn't think you'd be bringing another girl." Jolene found herself laughing and Don, Sr., looked back at her.

"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Flack," she said and the older man grinned.

"Call me Senior to keep the confusion to a minimum, and it's nice to finally meet you, Jolene," Don, Sr., said. "Why don't you two take your coats off and get settled. You know where they go Donnie." Jolene looked at Don and he gave his dad a smile before he nodded his head and led Jolene back down the hall to the closet that rested by the door.

"That wasn't so bad was it?" he asked as he helped her from her coat and she laughed as she turned around and looked at him.

"The day is still young, Don, the day is still young," she said and he smiled as he hung up her coat and shrugged off his own and hung it up in the closet next to hers. He leaned down and caught her lips in a chaste kiss before taking her hand and leading her back into the kitchen.

* * *

A little over an hour later Jolene found herself wondering why she was worried about meeting Don's family in the first place. Darren was just as good looking as Don, Lily had gotten her father's eyes, and he was a little more serious than his brother. Everyone welcomed her with open arms and Don's niece, Lily, had taken a liking to her and was settled on Jolene's lap as everyone sat in the living room while the roast and potatoes Kelly had put in the oven cooked.

"So, Jolene, how did a smart girl like you get saddled with my dim little brother?" Darren asked causing a few chuckles around the room. The grin on his face must have been a trademark of the Flack men because Don had the same exact grin.

"Don's not dim," Jolene said. "He's smarter than he looks." Soft laughter filled the living room once more.

"Hey," Don said quickly and Jolene smiled up at him, which earned her a grin from the man that had laced the fingers of his left hand with hers of her right. She tilted her head and leaned up slightly to place a small kiss on his cheek before she turned her eyes to Darren who was holding a squirming Brady on his lap before he put him down on the floor. The little boy waddled over to the pile of toys settled on a blanket near the chair that Don, Sr., sat in.

"To answer your question, I think it was his sense of humor," she said. "Sarcastic but dry at the same time."

"I would have assumed it was the eyes," Kelly chimed and everyone looked at her, Darren with a raised eyebrow. "What? Yours are what attracted me to you in the first place." Jolene laughed lightly as Lily laid her head back on Jolene's left shoulder. Jolene looked down at the little girl who started toying with the locket Don had given her just that morning while everyone else continued to chat.

Lily reminded Jolene of her nephew, Patrick, and she smiled as Lily sighed. The little girl seemed more than content to sit with Jolene in silence. Of course the little girl had been full of questions when they had first settled on the sofa, but as the adults continued their conversations she had lapsed into an uncommon silence for a little girl of five. As Jolene watched Lily for a few more seconds she realized why the little girl had gone so quiet. Her eyes were getting heavier and Jolene looked up and across the room at Kelly.

"I think someone's ready for a nap," Jolene said once she caught the other woman's eyes and Kelly's dark eyes flickered to her daughter. She glanced at the watch around her wrist and nodded.

"It's close to their nap time," Kelly said. "Darren, get Lily from Jolene while I get Brady before he starts to get cranky." Darren nodded as they both stood and moved to their children. Darren took Lily from Jolene's arms and Kelly picked up the little boy who squealed in displeasure before succumbing to his mother's shushing. They took the little ones upstairs and Jolene stood to stretch out her back. Ever since the incident in the warehouse, sitting in the same position for a long period of time made her back stiff.

"You okay?" Don asked and she smiled at his concerned face as she sat back down and nodded. Jolene turned her eyes to Don, Sr.

"May I use your bathroom?" she asked and he nodded before he pointed towards the stares.

"Upstairs, second door on the right," he said and she smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said before she left the father and son in the living room. Don watched her go and sighed quietly as he turned his eyes to his dad.

"Don't worry, I like her," Don, Sr., said and Don laughed lightly.

"I knew you would," Don said. "I wasn't the one that was worried about you not liking her." Don, Sr., raised an eyebrow. "Jo was a nervous wreck this morning."

"She's good at hiding her emotions. I bet she's hell in interrogation," Don, Sr., said, which made Don laughed again, a little louder than before, and he nodded as he thought over the few times he had actually been in with her and/or watched through the glass. She was tough and no nonsense. She held her own and kept herself in check, especially when she wanted to throttle the suspect in front of her.

"She is," Don said. Don, Sr., couldn't help but notice the look that over took his son's face just then. The smile on his face was a smile he had never seen before. His gaze was off to the side and focused on something behind Don, Sr., but Don, Sr., had a feeling that they really were focused on anything in particular. It was then that he realized just what that look on Don's face meant.

"So, is she the one, Donnie?" Don, Sr., asked and Don's eyes met his father's. Despite the small smile that was on his face Don knew his father was serious. Don shrugged as he looked away from his dad and at the newspaper piled on the coffee table.

"She might be," Don said thoughtfully.

"Well, you're not going to get any better," came Darren's voice and Don looked up at his brother as he sauntered in the living room. Don's eyes quickly darted behind Darren, but the older Flack just laughed. "Don't worry, she's in the kitchen with Kelly." Don looked back at him as he sat down on the sofa Darren sat back down on. "She's a great girl, Donnie. She's got a good head on her shoulders and from what I've seen so far she doesn't take any of your shit." That comment made Don, Sr., laugh and both boys looked at their father.

"Something tells me she gives you just as hard of a time as you give her," Don, Sr., said.

"She does, believe me," Don said, his smile back on his face. The words were no more out his mouth when Jolene and Kelly came back into the living room, smiles on their faces. It was obvious the two women got along and Don was glad to see it.

"Why do I have the strangest feeling that I've been talked about?" Jolene asked Don in a soft whisper as she sat down on the sofa next to Don and laced the fingers of her left hand with his right. He smiled and rubbed his thumb along her hand.

"Because you have," he said back just as quietly.

"All good I hope," she said and he leaned in and brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth.

"All good," he whispered and she smiled at him as he pulled back. Don, Sr.'s, voice pulled her attention away from Don and soon the conversation started once more. However, the peace of the day didn't last much longer. Jolene's cell phone went off in the pocket of her jeans and she sighed as she stood and pulled the device out of her pocket.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go," she said as she looked up from her phone and her eyes landed on Don, Sr. "I'm on call and I'm needed at the lab."

"Don't worry about it, Jolene," Don, Sr., said. "We'll send a plate of food home with Donnie and your gifts along with it." Jolene gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," she said before she looked at Don. Don stood and looked at his brother.

"Would you mind giving me a lift home so she can take my car?" he asked and Darren shook his head negatively.

"We don't mind," Darren said. "Lily will love it." Don grinned and shook his head while Jolene said her good-byes. He guided her into the foyer and grabbed her coat. He helped her into it before he handed her his car keys and she sighed quietly as she looked up at him.

"Danny's pulled two cases," she explained. "Stella texted me and says she's sorry but they need me to come in and give a hand. I hope this doesn't' ruin your night." He raised his hands to her shoulders and smiled.

"It won't, Jo, we're a family of cops," he said. "We know the drill." Jolene nodded before she leaned up to him and he met her half way for a kiss.

"I love you," she whispered as she pulled away and Don sighed softly before they embraced. He'd never get tired of hearing her say that.

"I love you too, and I'll see you at your place tonight," he said as they pulled apart. She nodded and with one final chaste kiss she was gone and on her way to the lab.

"Oh you got it bad baby brother," Darren said from behind Don and the slightly younger Flack turned around and smirked at his brother.

"It's not like Kelly doesn't have you wrapped around her finger," Don said.

"Yeah, yeah," Darren said. "Speaking of that, we've been given the task of setting the table." The brother's shared a laugh before heading into the dining room.

* * *

"Sorry about your dinner today, Jo" Danny said as he walked into the locker room and found the brunette pulling on her coat. It had been a long day and neither was any closer to closing their cases, but it was nearly one in the morning and they were both ready to call it a day.

"Don't be," she said. "I was on call and Don's family understood." She pulled the clip out of her hair and ran her fingers through the kinked curls before throwing it back up into the clip.

"How'd that go by the way?" he asked as he pulled his own coat out of his locker and Jolene laughed lightly as she looked at her friend.

"Better than I expected," she told him honestly, which made him smile. She started past him and noticed the silver wrapped present still settled on the top shelf of his locker. She gently put her hand on his arm. "Look in your locker," she whispered and Danny frowned.

"What?" he asked and she rolled her eyes as she lowered her hand from his arm.

"I got the code to your locker because Lindsey asked me to put the gift she got you in your locker yesterday. Obviously you didn't see it," she said as she reached in and grabbed the package before putting it in Danny's hand. "You two may not be on the best of terms right now, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about you." Danny looked down at the box in his hand before he tapped it against his palm and looked down at Jolene.

"Thanks," he said and she nodded.

"Call her tomorrow morning and thank her," she urged. "I know you guys will work through this." Danny only nodded and she wished him good night before she left the locker room. Her bed was calling her name from all the way across town and she hoped that she would find Don already there.


	14. Chapter 14

I know it's been about three weeks since last updated, but you have my internet company to thank for that. I upgraded my service and for some reason they disconnected my old service until the new service could be set up, which left me without internet access for the last three weeks. The plus side, I had more time to write and I've got chapters 14, 15, and 16 in the can with 17 almost finished. I'll have chapter 15 up tonight as well just because you guys are awesome for being so patient. I hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 14

Jolene smiled as she walked into her apartment and she wasn't surprised to see that Don wasn't in the living room. She assumed he was already tucked into bed, so, she locked up her apartment, shrugged off her coat and living it on the floor before she walked into the bedroom. Sure enough thanks to the dim light filtering in from outside she saw Don's silhouette laying on his side of the bed. Sighing, Jolene took off her boots, jeans, sweater and bra before she ruffled through Don's drawer and found one of his t-shirts. She pulled the soft cotton over her head, took the clip of out of her hair, and quickly padded over to the bed.

"What time is it?" came Don's sleep filled voice as she pulled the covers over her and she smiled at his shadowed face.

"1:30," she said and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her body tight to his. She smiled and wrapped her left arm around him as his hand slid up her back and pulled her hair from her shoulder so it fell behind her.

"Rough night?" he asked and Jolene nodded as she tucked her head near his shoulder.

"Yeah, but it's not so bad now," she said earning a chuckle from Don. "Good night," she whispered.

"Good night," he said back and she could hear the smile in his tone. He kissed her head and Jolene felt her eyes getting heavy as Don's steady breathing slowly lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Weeks turned into months and as spring arrived in New York City, Jolene finished her last case for a little while. "You are coming back right?" Lindsey asked as the stood at their lockers gathering their things to head home. Jolene laughed lightly as she pulled the strap of her purse up on her shoulder and closed her locker.

"Of course," Jolene said. "I'm only going to be gone for a week. The way work has been around here lately it'll only seem like I'm gone for a day."

"I know it will feel that way to you," Lindsey said and Jolene smiled. "So, when is your brother getting in?"

"He's infantry got back yesterday, but the bus will get into town tomorrow," Jolene said. "I should get there a couple of hours before he does." Lindsey smiled as the pair made their way out of the locker room.

"I bet you're excited to see him," Lindsey said and Jolene laughed as she nodded, her long ponytail bouncing behind her.

"You have no idea," Jolene said and Lindsey chuckled as the two reached the elevator. "It's been a long time, and I can't wait to just hug him." The elevator arrived and the two women climbed in before riding down the thirty-two floors to the lobby chatting quietly as they went.

After saying her good bye to Lindsey and parting from her friend outside, Jolene made her way to the subway in the chilly evening air. She had a little packing to do and since Don was still on shift she planned on finishing up her packing and taking a long relaxing bath. The last few weeks seemed like a blur thanks to her anticipation for her flight home and seeing her family and brother. Jonathan was coming home and she was going to be able to hug her little brother for the first time in nearly two and a half years.

It didn't take her long to get home and once inside her apartment she set to work. She didn't have much to do, so, she just wanted to pack her suitcase, have a bite to eat, and relax in the tub. Soon her clothes were neatly folded and placed in her suitcase along with her makeup bag and the Ziploc bags that held her bath items and she was settling her suitcase in front of her closet when her cell phone rang. She turned to her nightstand and picked up the ringing device before she raised it to her ear and made her way into the kitchen.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey Jo," came Lucas' voice and Jolene smiled as she opened the fridge and pulled out the plastic container that held her leftovers from the chicken parmesan she and Don made the night before at his place.

"Hey, Luke, how are you?" she asked and he laughed.

"I'm fine," he said. "I was just calling to find out when you'll get here tomorrow. Your Ma told me, but I can't remember." She laughed lightly as she transferred the contents of the container onto the plate to heat in the microwave while keeping the phone to ear with her shoulder.

"My flight should land around eight," she said, "and after I get my rental it should take me around two and a half hours to get there, so, I think around eleven."

"All right, Robin, her folks, and I'll head over there around then," Lucas said. He was silent for a second before she heard him take a deep breath. "Can I tell you something, Jo, and you have to swear you won't breathe a word of it until after Johnny gets home and everyone gets settled?" Jolene frowned at the serious tone Lucas' voice took as she set the time on the microwave before walking into the living room.

"Is something wrong, Luke? Are you in trouble?" she asked, settling herself onto the sofa and picking the television remote from the coffee table.

"No," he said with a light chuckle. "Nothing like that, Jo, it's just that since we found out last week I've wanted to call and tell you, but Robin made me promise to wait until everyone was together."

"What is it, Luke?" she asked, remote still in hand but the TV off.

"Do you swear you won't say anything to anyone?" Lucas asked the smile on his face evident in his voice.

"Of course," she said.

"Robin's pregnant," he said and the TV remote fell from Jolene's hand and hit the rug covered wooden floor with a soft thump.

"Seriously?" she asked, a bright smile coming to her face, and Lucas laughed.

"Yeah, seriously," he said and she laughed.

"Congratulations, Luke!" she said. "How far along is she?"

"Ten weeks," he said. "We found out for sure last week."

"I'm so happy for you," she said, bending over to pick up the remote. "Do you think you guys are ready?"

"No, but is anyone ever really ready to become a parent?" he asked with a laugh and Jolene smiled.

"I guess not, but I'm sure you guys will do just fine," she said.

"I hope so," Lucas said.

"Yeah, well I know so."

"Just don't tell Robin I told you when you see her."

"Your secret's safe with me, Luke," she assured. "I won't breathe a word of it to a soul."

"Thanks, Jo," Lucas said. The pair talked about meaningless things and just catching up for a little longer before they finally ended their call. She'd forgotten about her dinner and stood from the sofa after tossing her cell onto the coffee table and hitting the power button on the remote, turning on the TV. She jogged into the kitchen and turned the microwave back on for forty seconds before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and gathering her silverware.

As she walked back into the living room with her plate in hand she saw that the nightly news was on. Not feeling like hearing about the goings on in the city, she flipped through the channels after sitting her plate on her lap. Settling on an old sitcom re-run, she sat back and started eating. Her bath would have to wait until she got to her parents' house seeing as it was so late and that she had to be up insanely early to make it to the airport and on her flight. She was just taking her last bite of food when she heard the door being unlocked and her door opened. She looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Don walk in looking rather worn.

"Hey," she said happily before she turned off the TV, sat her empty plate and silverware on the coffee table, and stood from the sofa. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him before she kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey," he said softly as he put his hands on her upper waist. "Did you get your bag ready?"

"Yeah and I just finished eating," she said. "Want me to fix you something?"

"No thanks, I grabbed a slice with Danny after shift," he said and Jolene nodded as she raised her right hand to his face and held his left cheek in her hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, just a long day," he said as he forced a smile and she lowered her hand to his chest. "What time to do you have to be at the airport?"

"My flight leaves at six, so around four thirty or five," she said.

"It's late, you should be in bed," he said.

"Despite the fact that I'm exhausted, I'm too excited to sleep." Don smiled down at her and she smiled in return.

"A week, huh?" he asked and she laughed softly.

"Is that what's bothering you; me going home for a week?" He sighed and she shook her head as she tapped his chest with her hand. "It's just one week, Don, and I'll be back."

"Yeah, I know," he said, but not sounding happy. She laughed and raised her hands to his face.

"You won't miss me too much."

"How do you know that?" he asked and she grinned as she lowered her hands, stepped back from him, and took his hands into hers before pulling him towards the bedroom.

"Because I'm going to give you a night to remember until I get back," she said and he raised an eyebrow, however, he didn't say anything as she pulled him further into the room. "Are you going to kiss me or just look at me?"

He didn't need to be asked twice. He closed the short distance between them and claimed her lips in a heated kiss as he guided her back towards the bed. The fell back onto the bed rather ungracefully, and they laughed but didn't break their kiss. Their hands made quick work of clasps, buttons, and zippers; and it didn't take long for the clothes to be discarded and it was skin against skin. Don's chin was covered with a thin layer of stubble and his whiskers rubbed against the skin of Jolene's neck as he kissed along her neck and shoulders. She sighed as she ran her finger nails along his back. His hands were rough but his touch was gentle as his hands raked over her body. She was on fire and aching for him in a way she never did before.

"Don," she whimpered and he raised his head and looked down at her. "Quit teasing me," she said and he grinned before he positioned himself and slid into her with little resistance from her body. She wrapped her legs around him, her ankles locking underneath his backside, as she moaned at the feel of him. He needed no more encouragement than that.

* * *

Jolene was sound asleep, her head resting on Don's left shoulder as the digital alarm clock read 3:19. Despite the fact that their activities of over three hours had him even more exhausted then he had been, Don wasn't asleep. His left hand was playing with Jolene's long hair as his eyes were focused on the ceiling above them. For the next week he was going to miss moments like this with her. Their jobs were demanding it was their downtime together that allowed both of them to escape from it. Soon, he was going to be stuck in the thick of reality while his usual means for escape was going to be down in Georgia and on her family's farm.

It was only going to be a week, and he had lived his life perfectly content with how things were before Jolene sauntered into it; but now just the thought of her being so far away made him feel like something was missing. Jolene was the perfect distraction after a hard day, and on the few days a week that they actually got off shift at the same time she made it a point to talk about anything but work. She always said that they needed some time for themselves, and she was right.

Don lowered his hand and rested it on Jolene's bare shoulder as he looked down at her. Her face was upturned on his shoulder, so he could see her face in the darkened room. Jolene had something about her that made him feel things he never expected to, and whatever it was he never wanted it to disappear.


	15. Chapter 15

Here is Chapter 15. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 15

When she left Don that morning, their parting had been bittersweet with her promising to call every night to check on him. Of course he had laughed at that and said 'okay, mom' but he had also told her he would look forward to it. The flight had been smooth enough and so far the only rough patch she had hit that morning was the hassle the clerk at the rental car place put her through. Apparently, her reservation had been lost and she had spent the better part of thirty minutes arguing with the man. However, the situation had been rectified and she'd gotten her rental.

It was nice but strange to be back home and driving down the dirt road that she had driven down countless times to go into town or school while growing up. It felt like it had been far longer than a year and a half since she had been back home, but she was there for a week and her brother was home and she was going to soak in every second of her time there. Soon, the old farmhouse, barn, and mill came into view on the right hand side.

She couldn't stop the smile from forming as the house drew closer. Jolene found herself speeding a little down the road to reach the driveway and she turned down the tan gravel drive kicking up dust from the rented sedan's tires. Jolene brought the car to a stop next to her father's old beat up Ford truck and parked it. Still smiling, she climbed out of the car and looked at the house.

The two story white house with a wraparound porch had been the house she had grown up in, just like her father before her, his father before him, and so on. The old brown barn was just as it ever was and the garage looked like it still needed a little work. Jolene laughed lightly as she closed the car door and as she headed towards the trunk she heard the squeaky screen door of the house open and a bustling of voices started echoing outside. She looked up at the house in time to see not only her parents and Jessa with her husband and son, but Lucas, Robin, Robin's parents.

"Aunt Jo!" cried her nephew Patrick and he was the first to reach her as he launched himself at her. Jolene laughed as she bent over slightly and caught the boy easily before standing up and hugging Patrick as he hugged her tight.

"Hey Patrick," she said as everyone else came over to her and welcomed her home. She put Patrick down and hugged everyone else and thanked them all for their welcoming.

"Jolene Elizabeth James, have you been eating? You must have lost at least twenty pounds since the last time I saw you," her mother, Linda, said as she held her daughter at arm's length.

"Yes, Mama, I've been eating; and I haven't lost any weight," Jolene said, giving her mother a pointed look. She tossed Lucas the keys to the car and he laughed as he got her bag out of the car and everyone went back inside. They had to head into town soon with the rest of the community to welcome their soldiers home.

* * *

The rest of the day went like a blur. The second she saw her baby brother tears filled her eyes and she ran over to him. Despite him being a terror the entire time they were growing up, she was close to him and loved him with all her heart. Finally after hours of eating, talking, and a little more eating; Lucas and Robin shared their news with everyone and the celebrating started all over again.

The sun was going down and everyone was still settled in Jolene's parents' living room and the conversation continued over tall glasses of sweet tea. However, Jolene had snuck out onto the back porch, her glass of tea in hand, and settled herself on the old porch swing that looked out over her family's land and the setting sun. The sky was beautiful as the sun set over the horizon, and as she took a drink of her tea she pulled her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jeans.

She went down a few of her contacts and hit the 'talk' button before bringing the lit up device to her hear. It took two rings, but the voice she hadn't heard since that morning met her ears.

"Flack," he said and she smiled. Obviously he hadn't looked at his caller ID.

"Hey," she said, "how are you?"

"I'm fine, Jo," he said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "How are you? How's your family?"

"I'm good, and their just as loud and crazy as ever," she said with a light laugh and Don chuckled. "What are you doing right now?" She heard him sigh softly and she could just picture him rubbing the back of his neck.

"Staring down a stack of paperwork I've got to finish up and file," he said dryly and she smiled. "What about you?"

"Sitting on the back porch swing with a glass of sweet tea and watching the sun go down," she said and he sighed yet again. "I know your jealous," she teased and he laughed.

"I'd give anything to be sitting there with you right now," he said.

"I wish you were too," she said. "That way you could meet my parents and everyone else, _and_ see the beautiful sunset over my family's land." Don laughed again and she smiled once more. "Lucas and Robin shared some news today during dinner," she said after a few silent seconds. She'd wanted to tell him the night before, but he had her a little occupied.

"What's that?" he asked.

"Robin's pregnant," she said.

"That's great," Don said. "Tell Lucas I said congratulations."

"I will," she said. She heard a deep voice in the background on Don's end before Don sighed once more

"I've got to go, Jo," he said, his voice heavy, "I just got another case."

"Don't work yourself into the ground before I get back, Don," she said. "I've got plans for you." She heard him chuckle as she assumed he stood from his desk.

"Oh you do?"

"I do," she assured with a smile and he chuckled again.

"I promise to have unlimited energy when you get back because I've got plans for you too." The whispered level of Don's voice over the phone and the roughness his tone took made heat flood her cheeks and her stomach tighten.

"We're both forward thinkers, aren't we?" she asked her tone light and Don laughed. "I love you, Don."

"I love you, too, Jo," he said. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye," she said.

"Bye," he said back and they ended their call. Jolene sighed as she lowered her phone from her ear and sat it down on the small table next to the swing.

"So, who's Don and why have I never heard of him before?" a deep voice asked from her right. Jolene jumped in surprise as she looked towards the voice and saw Jonathan leaning against the house with a smile on his face and his hands in his front jean pockets.

"Give me a heart attack why don't ya," she said as she looked away from her brother and sat her glass of tea next to her phone. Jonathan smiled at the blush that still graced his sister's face. Jolene never blushed and to see the red color on her cheeks in the dimming light was interesting. He walked over to the swing and sat down next to her before he started to gently swing them.

"You going to answer my question?" he asked and Jolene laughed as she looked at him. His dark hair was short and neat to his head and he seemed more muscular than the last time she saw him; but no matter how big he got he was still her baby brother.

"Well," Jolene said softly before she took a slow deep breath and smiled at Jonathan. "Don is my boyfriend and the reason you haven't heard of him is because I didn't feel the need to tell you about him in our e-mails. Mom, Dad, and Jessa don't really know about him yet, so, don't feel out of the loop; and don't say anything," she added quickly and Jonathan grinned.

"What's he like?" Jonathan asked.

"You want to know?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and Jonathan laughed before he raised his left arm and rested it on the back of the swing behind Jolene's shoulders.

"Yes," he said. "I want to know about the guy who puts a goofy grin on my sister's face and makes her blush. You never blush, so, this guy has to be something." Jolene chuckled as she shook her head and shrugged.

"What do want to know about him?"

"How did you two meet? What does he do for a living? Is he an implant like you, or a lifelong New Yorker? You know the basics," he said and Jolene smiled.

"We met at work; he's a homicide detective; and he's a born and bred New Yorker," she said answering his three questions. When she didn't say anything more Jonathan raised his eyebrows and Jolene laughed. "What?" she asked.

"You're not going to give me anything more than that?" he asked. He gave her a look that was both amused and annoyed and she shrugged, unconsciously playing the locket around her neck. Since Don had given her the locket for Christmas she only took it off when she showered so in sentimental sort of way he was always with her. "That's not the locket Mom and Dad gave you for graduation," Jonathan observed when he saw the platinum locket she played with. "The one they gave you was gold with a Black Hills gold rose on it."

"Don gave this to me for Christmas," she said as she looked down at it and raised her other hand to the locket. She opened it, smiled at Don's face, moved closer to her brother, and turned the locket so he could see the photo. "It's not the best photo of him, I have one on my phone I can show you; but that's Don." Jonathan looked at the photo, squinting slightly and she laughed.

"I can't see him," he said, and she closed the locket and sat back before she grabbed her phone and went to the photo she had taken when her and Don went to a Rangers game two months earlier. She wasn't a hockey fan, but she had gotten the tickets for his birthday and that was why she went with him.

"This is Don," she said, handing him the phone. The lit screen allowed Jonathan to see Don's smiling face clearly. In the photo he had on a Rangers sweatshirt and Jolene was pressed close at his side wearing her own Rangers sweatshirt that Don had bought her when they had arrived at the arena. She actually loved that sweatshirt and it had become a part of her wardrobe when she got home from work.

"He seems okay," Jonathan said after studying Don's face. "The question is: how does he treat you?" he asked, handing her back her phone.

"He treats me very well, Johnny," she assured him. "We work together a lot, and he understands the demanding work schedule I have because his is just as bad; sometimes worse. He cooked for me and tidied up my apartment after I've worked a couple doubles in a row, and he took care of me when I got the flu over Valentine's Day."

"I heard you say that four letter word," he said as he gently nudged her arm with his elbow. "If you love him, why haven't you told Mom and Dad about him?" he asked and Jolene shrugged.

"I do love him, Johnny, and I don't really know why I haven't told Mom and Dad," she said.

"I think you're going to have to tell them, Jo. If you don't and they get the wedding invitation, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do," he said and Jolene laughed lightly as she shook her head before she rested it against Jonathan's shoulder. He lowered his arm from the back of the swing and put his arm around her shoulders, his warmth warding off the evening chill.

"I'll tell them," she promised as the sun disappeared. "I'm glad you're home, Johnny." His arm tightened around her a little bit and he sighed.

"Me too, Jo, me too."


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you all like this chapter. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 16

The following morning, Jolene padded down the old wooden stairs in her sock clad feet wearing and old black t-shirt of Don's and her black and red plaid pajama pants. Her long hair was up messily in a bun on the back of her head and she had yet to shower but the smell of bacon and coffee woke her up that morning and her stomach won out over her morning hygiene routine.

"Morning," Jolene said as she walked over to her father and kissed the top of his head before settling herself at the breakfast table in the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Her father, Brian, smiled at her half asleep face and chuckled quietly as he watched her pour a little milk into her coffee before adding about four sugars to the bitter liquid.

"You like a little coffee with your sugar, Jo?" he asked and Jolene laughed before she took a sip of her drink and nodded.

"Don't you know that's the way to drink it? Especially the way they make it at the lab," she said. "Nothing like station coffee," she added sarcastically earning another laugh from her father.

"We didn't think you'd be up this early, Jo," her mother, Linda, said as she fixed Jolene a plate of toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs. "It's your vacation time; thought for sure you'd sleep in."

"I planned on it until the smell of your cooking woke me up," Jolene said and Linda smiled. "Is that bacon from Mr. Underwood?" Jolene asked as Linda sat the plate in front of her. Linda laughed and nodded her head in the affirmative. Jolene was quick to grab a piece from her plate before she bit into the hickory smoked bacon. She sighed in contentment and laughed lightly. "You wouldn't believe how much I've missed this," Jolene said as she gestured at her father with the piece of bacon still in her hand.

"Jonathan's ate half a pound by himself already," Linda said while Brian laughed at his daughter's happy expression.

"Where is Johnny anyway?" Jolene asked before she took another bite of bacon and picked up her fork to start on her eggs.

"Right here," came Johnny's deep voice as he walked into the kitchen from the backdoor; tattered jeans and baseball cap on to go along with the weathered gray t-shirt he wore. He was wiping his hand on an old cloth before he went over to sink. "A spark plug came loose is all, Pa," Jonathan said as he set to washing his hands. "She'll run just fine now."

"Thanks, Johnny," Brian said and Jolene felt a little out of the loop.

"What are you talking about?" Jolene said.

"Truck wouldn't start this morning when I went to go into town," Brian said. "Hope you don't mind but I borrowed your rental. My order came in at Dixon's and I had to pick it up by seven this morning `cause he's going into the city to visit his son."

"I don't care, Dad," Jolene said with a wave of her hand and Brian smiled. It was then that he noticed the locket around her neck, and he frowned.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked gesturing to the necklace as Johnny sat down at the table and poured himself a glass of orange juice. Linda sat another plate in front of Johnny as she sat down with a plate of her own and looked at the platinum locket around her daughter's neck. Johnny snickered into his orange juice and Jolene shot a quick glare at him before she looked at her dad.

"It was my Christmas gift from my boyfriend," Jolene said, biting the bullet and saying the 'B' word to her parents. It wasn't that she was worried they wouldn't like Don, far from it. She knew they would love him. However, Linda was always quick to think that boyfriend would in short order lead to 'husband' when it came to Jolene and Jolene wasn't sure if she was ready for marriage despite the fact that she loved Don with every fiber of her being.

"Boyfriend?" Brian asked.

"Since when do you have a boyfriend?" Linda asked. Jolene took a huge bite of her eggs, hoping to ebb her mother's curiosity but they simply stared at her and waited for her to swallow for the answer to her question. Swallowing her bite of food rather uncomfortably, she looked at Linda.

"Since June," Jolene said.

"Why haven't we heard about him?" Linda asked and Jolene looked to Johnny for help but the traitor simply smiled before he returned his attention to his plate.

"I . . .," Jolene sighed as she looked between her parents. She was twenty-seven years old, almost twenty-eight, and she suddenly felt sixteen again as she told her parents about her first date. "I don't know," she finally said. "I guess, I just wanted to keep him to myself."

"What's he like?" Linda asked, echoing Johnny's question and so Jolene took a deep breath and told her parents all about Don.

* * *

It had been a rough four days since Jolene left. Stella's apartment was destroyed in a fire, and thankfully they had found a little girl that had been missing for several days safe and sound. Don was settled at Maurice's waiting on his food to arrive as he sipped on his beer and watched several people walk by on the street out the large bay window. He could have sat at the bar, but he wanted to people watch; a thing Jolene had gotten him into.

Part of their job was reading people during interrogation or interviews, so, he hadn't been a willing participant when Jolene had practically forced him onto a bench in Central Park to people watch. However, as they sat there and watched the variety of people that lived, worked, and visited New York City he learned it was relaxing to just sit back and watch people pass by. His phone ringing drew his attention from the window to the table and he smiled to himself when he saw 'Jo' flashing on the screen.

"Hey," he said as he answered it and her soft laugh met his ear, which made his smile grow.

"Hey yourself," she said. "What are you doing?" He sat back in his chair with a soft sigh before he took a drink of his beer.

"Right now I'm sitting at Maurice's waiting for my dinner," he said and he heard her laugh again.

"It's a little late for dinner isn't it?" she asked and he looked at his watch. It was quarter to eleven, but he'd only gotten off shift an hour ago.

"Not when I've been off shift for an hour and haven't eaten since two," he said, lowering his hand to the table.

"I thought you said you'd be taking care of yourself for me," she said. "Am I going to come home to a half dead man?" she asked, earning a chuckle from him as he rested his elbows on the table.

"No, you won't," he said through his smile. "Your accent's a little thicker than it was when you left."

"I'll give you your change of subject for now," she said and he continued to smile, "and that's because when one is surrounded by an old familiar tone one cannot help but take it on again."

"Now you sound like Hawkes with a twang," he said, which made her laugh and his smile to remain on his face.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," she said.

"That I do," he said.

"So, how's Stella?" she asked, expressing her ever present concern over her friend.

"For the third time this week, she's fine. Don't worry," he said.

"Everyone always tells me not to worry, which only makes me worry more," Jolene said, her tone slightly frustrated.

"Okay, Jo, you worry that pretty little head of yours all you want," he said, his smile returning.

"Thank you," she said stiffly, making him laugh, which only lead to her laughing right along with him.

"So, you never told me how your parents took to the news that you had yourself a boyfriend that you kept from them for the last ten and half months," he said. He knew Jolene hadn't told her parents about him. At first it bothered him, but when she told him that she didn't want her parents, especially her mother, jumping the gun on their relationship before they themselves knew where it was going, he understood.

"They took it well, and since I know you have the day off tomorrow that you can expect a call around lunch time," she said.

"Why?" he asked as his waitress walked up to his table and smiled at him. He leaned back and she put the plate on the table along with the bottle of mustard he asked for. "Thanks," he whispered and she nodded before she moved along.

"Because she wants to talk to you," she said. "I showed her the photo of us from the Rangers game we went to and she said that you had the cutest smile. I've told her a lot about you and she likes you already. Don't be surprised if I come back with sample china patterns, okay?" He laughed as he put a spot of mustard on the side of his plate next to his fries.

"Why's that?"

"Because she's already planning our wedding in her head," Jolene said, her voice sounding exasperated and he heard a slight thump on her end of the line. The sigh of contentment that followed allowed him to assume that she had laid back on her bed. She was quiet for a moment before he heard her take in a slow breath. "I can't wait until I'm back in New York with you. I love my family and I'm so happy to see Johnny; but I miss waking up to you in the morning."

"I miss it to, Jo," he said. "Hell, I miss you so much I'm eating mustard with my French fries right now." Jolene laughed as he dipped his fry in mustard and popped it into his mouth.

"Well, in two more days I'll be back. My flight gets in early and since your place is closer to the airport, I'll take a taxi and head over there if that's okay," she said.

"You don't have to grab a taxi," he said after he swallowed. "I don't go on shift until the afternoon that day, so, I'll be more than happy to pick you up."

"You sure? What if you get a call?" she asked.

"I probably won't, but if I do I'll text you so when you turn your phone back on you get it," he said.

"Okay," she said. "But I think you just want one of those romantic kisses at the airport. You know, with me running towards you and you pulling me in; just like all those romantic movies." Don chuckled and shook his head.

"You assume this because I'm a closeted hopeless romantic, right?" he asked and he heard her laugh.

"You are a romantic my burly and masculine detective," she said. "You're tough when you need to be, but then when you're with me and we're alone you're a complete softie." Don smiled as he ate another fry. "I'm going to let you go so you can eat and I can sleep. I love you and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Love you too, Jo," he said.

"Bye," she said and the line went dead. He put his phone down on the table and sighed before he tucked into his food. The sooner he got home for some much needed sleep the better.

* * *

"Mama, he got off shift late last night," Jolene said as she stood in the kitchen helping her mother with the dishes from breakfast. Johnny, Lucas, and her father were out working leaving Jolene and her mother to tend to the house. "It's barely nine. Let's wait until after lunch to call him. I don't want to wake him."

"All right, all right," Linda said with a soft sigh. "I just want to get to talk to this boy that's got you smiling like you have been."

"I'm smiling because I'm home, and because Johnny's home, Mama," Jolene said.

"I know, but this time your smiles are deeper," Linda said. "I should have noticed the difference the second you stepped out of the car."

"You thought I'd lost weight, maybe that was how you first interpreted it," Jolene said as she handed a plate to her mother for driving. Linda laughed and nodded her head.

"Maybe," she said. Jolene chuckled and went to scrub a pan when her cell phone started ringing from where it rested on the breakfast table. "Go ahead, I'll get the rest," Linda said as she handed Jolene the towel. Jolene quickly dried her hands and went over to the table, not bothering to look at the ID she brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Morning," came Don's voice and she smiled.

"Hey, what are you doing up so early?" she asked.

"It's nine o'clock, Jo. I don't sleep away my days off," he said with a laugh and she chuckled. "That is unless we're off together. Then I wouldn't mind never leaving the bedroom." Jolene's face heated as she clicked her tongue at him. "Okay, okay, I'll behave," he said with a laugh. "I thought I'd give you a call and let your mom have at me."

"She was just asking to call you and I told her you were probably still in bed," she said, earning her mother's interest.

"Is that Don?" Linda asked and Jolene looked at her with a nod. Linda quickly put the pan and washcloth down and rushed over to Jolene.

"You're in luck, she's ready to talk," Jolene said and she just heard Don's laugh before Linda took the phone from her.

"Hello, Don?" Linda asked before settling herself at the breakfast table. "Please, dear, call me Linda." Jolene laughed yet again before she walked back over to the sink to finish up the dishes. Her mother was going to be of no more use.


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone. I've had a rough couple of weeks, but after some serious relaxation time I'm focused and writing again. Sorry for the long wait and thanks for being so patient. You guys are awesome in so many ways. I hope you like this chapter, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 17

Don laughed lightly as Linda went on for five minutes about how Jolene hadn't told them anything about him and how they had only learned about him the day before. "Finally," Linda said softly. "So, Don, now that Jolene has gone out back we can really talk."

"Okay, Linda," Don said with a slight frown as he sat back on his sofa and readied himself for the interrogation he had been waiting for.

"Jolene may put up a strong front, but she's got a soft heart," Linda said. "I don't want my girl to end up getting hurt. She's been hurt enough in her past." Don frowned at that. Jolene didn't talk much about her past relationships, and in truth he didn't really want to know. He knew she had a few trust issues, but who didn't in their line of work. However, he also knew that she trusted him completely just as he did her.

"We've been together for a while, Linda," Don said. "I love her." He found it strange to be telling Jolene's mother that, but he wanted make sure she knew that he'd never do anything to hurt Jolene.

"And she loves you," Linda said firmly, but her tone was gentle. "I've never seen my youngest girl so happy. At first I thought it was because her brother was home, but now that I know about you I know it only has a bit to do with Johnny being back." Don didn't know how to respond, but thankfully he didn't have to because Linda continued. "Tell me about your family, Don," she said. Linda could tell he was slightly uncomfortable, so, she changed the subject for him.

"What do you want to know?" Don asked, with a grin.

"Are you an only child?"

"I have an older brother and a younger sister," Don said, putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of him.

"What do you parents do?"

"My dad's a retired detective, and my mom was a housewife. She passed away a few years ago," Don said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Linda said and Don shook his head as he made a face.

"You don't have to be, Linda," Don said. "I've dealt with it."

"So, you followed your father into law enforcement?" Linda asked, wanting to change the subject, and Don smiled.

"You can say that," he said. "All I've ever really wanted to do is what I'm doing now."

"It's dangerous though, isn't it? When Jolene told me she was joining the police academy, I nearly had a heart attack. All I could think about was her getting shot or worse," she said.

"We're trained to expect the unexpected, Linda," Don said, trying to find the words to reassure her that Jolene was okay. "Plus, Jolene's never on scene unless it's been cleared and when she is, there's always at least one uniform there with her and the others on her team." He left out the whole warehouse incident from the year before. Jolene never told her parents and had no plans on ever telling them. She made it perfectly clear that her parents were not to be told about what happened.

"I know, I know, but I worry about her all the same," Linda said and Don's smile was back on his face. Linda sounded like his mother did when he joined the academy and started his beat only Jolene had been in service for several years. However, he had the feeling that if his mother was still alive, she'd be the same way. "All right, no more talking about that. Jolene said the first time you two met, she knew you'd hit it off but the relationship sort of happened."

"Yeah," Don said with a light chuckle. "First time we met, she was kicking a vending machine out of frustration and I made some wisecrack to get her to laugh. We'd gotten along pretty much from that moment on."

"She also told me that you're not afraid to come back at her when her mouth gets away with her," Linda said. "It's about time she found someone other than family and Lucas that can do that." Don laughed again and Linda laughed with him. "You seem like a nice young man, but I do have just one more question for you."

"What's that?" Don asked as he starched the back of his head before he rested it against the back of the sofa.

"Do you plan on making an honest woman out of my daughter?" she asked and before Don could answer he heard Jolene's voice in the background on the other end.

"Mama you did not just ask him that!" Jolene's voice echoed in the receiver. "Say good bye, Mama," came her voice again, but closer and Don was having a hard time holding his laughter back.

"Good bye, Don," Linda said.

"Bye," he said chuckling before there was shuffling on their end.

"I cannot believe you asked him that," Jolene said quietly, but he still heard her.

"Can't a mother be curious?" He heard Linda ask.

"No!" Jolene said and he laughed again. "Don, please tell me my mother say anything crazy," Jolene said finally putting the phone to her ear. He heard her huff, so, he figured she was going up the stairs.

"She didn't," Don said with his smile still on his face. He heard a door close before Jolene sighed.

"I can't believe she asked you that," she repeated, but that time directed at him and he chuckled.

"I was going to answer her until you took the phone from her," Don said and silence was the response he got from her for a few beats until she finally spoke.

"What were you going to say?" she asked softly and he lowered his feet from the coffee table and stood from the sofa before he walked into the kitchen to fix himself some breakfast.

"That when you're ready, I'll make an honest woman out of you," he said, smiling as he opened the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs.

"Really? You sure you're even ready for that?" she asked, and he could just see her biting her lip because her tone sounded almost nervous.

"Not yet," he said and he heard her sigh softly in what he assumed was relief. He knew Jolene better than she thought he did. He knew that she loved him, more than he probably deserved, and he knew that she would do almost anything for him; but marriage to Jolene was a big step in a direction that made her uneasy. Forever was a hard word for her to swallow, but he knew she'd get there someday and he'd wait for as long as he had to.

* * *

Jolene drove into town later that afternoon, with Don still on her mind. They had talked for almost an hour after she had locked herself away in her room, and she only missed him more after their conversation. So, needing to get out of the house she asked her mom if she needed anything from town.

After visiting a few of her old haunts and catching up with some of her friends, she was at the market, picking up a few groceries that Linda asked her to get. She opened the cooler door and was reaching for a gallon of milk when a hand was suddenly on her shoulder. "Jolene?" a deep voice asked and she turned her head and looked up only to meet a pair of a familiar light green eyes. "I thought that was you," the man said and Jolene laughed as she pulled the milk out of the cooler and sat it in her cart.

"Conner Brinkman, look at you," she said before she embraced the tall and broad man, earning a deep chuckle from him. She pulled back and smiled up at him. "How have you been?"

"All right," he said. "What about you? It seemed like one minute I heard you were working in Atlanta and the next you were all the way all the way up in New York City."

"I'm still in New York, working in the crime lab up there," she said through her smile. "I came back to visit and to welcome home Johnny."

"That's right, Johnny's in the marines. How's he doing?" he asked.

"Good. Glad to be home," she said. Conner gave her a crooked smile and nodded his head. The baseball cap on his head covered up his sandy blonde hair, and his skin was tan, undoubtedly from working outside and probably on his family's farm. All in all he was still as good looking as he was in high school.

He was their town's hero while they were in high school; all state quarterback set to go to Georgia Tech on a full ride scholarship. That was until a hit during the state semi-finals their senior year. Tore up his knee so bad he had to have three surgeries and the doctor told him he'd never be cleared to play football again. Back then Conner and Jolene had been the star couple in their high school. The quarterback and the homecoming queen, but after his injury they grew apart. Jolene went off to college, then the police academy, and never once did she look back on that part of her life.

"So, how long are you in town?" he asked.

"Just through tomorrow," she said. "I fly back home early Sunday morning."

"Back to the big city then," he said.

"Yeah," she said with a light laugh.

"What do you say to going to Joey Mac's tonight?" Conner asked. "One last hurrah before you fly back home. I can buy you a couple of beers and we can catch up."

"Sure, I'll meet you there around eight?" she asked and he smiled.

"All right, eight it is," he said and Jolene nodded. The pair parted and Jolene finished off her shopping and headed back to the house, a smile on her face in anticipation of hanging out with her old friend.

* * *

Country music blared from the speakers hanging on the walls of the old bar as Jolene walked in, dressed in a pair of well wore blue jeans, long sleeved fitted pale pink top, and her old cowboy boots. She'd pulled her hair up into a high ponytail again and the locket Don had given her was around her neck. She spotted Conner at the bar when he waived his hand in the air to catch her attention. She laughed and waived back before she weaved her way through the small crowd and over to the bar. She was greeted by practically everyone she passed. It was a small town, and everyone knew everyone.

"They have just about every kind of bar you can think of in New York, but nothing beats an old small town bar," she said once she reached him and Conner chuckled as he ordered her a beer. "Thanks," she said when the bartender sat the bottle in front of her before she took a small sip of the amber colored liquid, and she instantly missed the dark ale she drank with Don.

"You don't have a place like this in New York?" he asked, drinking from his own bottle and she shrugged.

"There could be, but I haven't come across it," she said. "I've got a few places I go when I go out, but I don't really get to explore that often."

"I guess you're pretty busy up there, huh?" Conner asked.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Sometimes it feels like I'm barely treading water, but I work with a really, really great team. They're some of the best in the country, so, it's not all on me." Conner smiled as he looked down at Jolene and where she was perched on her barstool. She was a far cry from the girl of seventeen she had been the last time he saw her at their high school graduation. She was more womanly with a more confident air about her. Her frame was curvier and her face more defined. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

"But they would be lost without you," he said and Jolene laughed as she took another drink of her beer.

"Oh, of course," she said sarcastically and Conner chuckled. Soon, the conversation was flowing easily and it was almost like old times as an hour slipped by, except they were no longer the naïve boy and girl they once were. They were well seasoned in the reality of life; her more so than him since she saw on a daily basis what people were capable of.

"So, you got anyone special waiting for you back in the city?" he asked, his green eyes focused on her. She turned the bottle, the brown glass making the familiar sound against the old wood of the bar, and smiled at him before she nodded.

"I do," she said.

"I should have known a pretty girl like you wouldn't stay single in the big city," Conner said and Jolene grinned at the old Conner charm that emerged after two beers. Jolene was still nursing her first one, but Conner was starting his third.

"What about you? Are you still with Grace?" she asked and he sighed before he took two big gulps of his beer.

"No," he said as he let out a heavy breath. "We divorced four years ago. She's married to a lawyer in Atlanta; ironically, the one that she hired to handle the divorce."

"I'm sorry, Conner, I didn't know," she said feeling bad for bringing it up.

"It's alright, Jo," he said with a crooked smile that was obviously fake, but he put it on to humor her.

"What happened?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. Grace and Conner had gotten married two years out of high school, and couldn't have been happier than last she heard. She hadn't talked to anybody about Conner in ages, and she was surprised that they'd been divorced for so long and no one told her.

"She said she deserved more than life on a farm. Next thing I know I'm coming in from the fields to an empty house and served with divorce papers two days later," Conner said before taking another deep drink of his beer before slamming the empty bottle on the bar and gesturing for another one. Obviously drinking heavily had been a habit he acquired over the years.

"There hasn't been anyone since?" she asked and he looked at her as the bartender, Joey, put the fourth long neck in front of Conner. "You're a great guy, Conner, and I'm sure all the single ladies of this town would line up just to get a date with you." He chuckled as he looked away and took a small sip from his bottle.

"There have been a few ladies since, but nothing solid," he said. "Enough about me, Jo, what's your fella like?" he asked, his words a bit slower thanks to the alcohol coursing through his veins.

"Everyone's been asking that question lately," she said with a light laugh and Conner smiled. She took a sip of her now room temperature beer and made a face. "Just a second," she said to Conner before looking at Joey. "Could I get a soda, please?" she asked and Joey nodded before he grabbed her a bottle of coke from the fridge, opened it, and sat it on the bar in front of her, taking away the beer. "Thanks," she said before turning her attention back to Conner and taking a sip of the cold beverage.

"Well, you going to tell me or do I have to wait all night?" Conner asked, teasing her of course, and she laughed again.

"I'm not exactly great at talking about my relationships with other people, Conner. What do you want to know?" she asked a smile on her face and Conner shrugged.

"I don't know. What's he do for a living in the city? You get yourself some Wall Street broker?" he asked and Jolene scoffed.

"No, I got myself a homicide detective," she said and Conner raised his eyebrows. "He's the lead detective of the three/five prescient and because of that I work with him sometimes. We started off as friends, and somehow ended up head over heels for each other."

"I bet he's all brawn," Conner said, his lopsided smirk firmly in place.

"Actually, he's really smart," she said. "He doesn't think he is, but he is; and his wit can rival anyone. He's quick on his feet in situations, and usually manages to keep his temper in check while in interrogation. You want to see what he looks like?" she asked and Conner nodded. Jolene quickly pulled her cell phone from her back pocket and pulled up the same picture she had showed her parents and Johnny. "We took this at a Rangers game I took him to for his birthday. He's a huge hockey fan." Conner took the phone from her hand and looked at the photo with a slight frown.

"He looks like a nice fella, especially the way he's holding on to you," Conner said, handing her back her phone. "He treat you okay?"

"He's the best, Conner. I couldn't ask for a better guy," she said and Conner nodded.

"Good, because you deserve the best, Jo; always have and always will," he said and she gave him a small smile before turning the subject matter away from her and to the Braves, which would lead to an endless conversation with Conner venting his frustration about his favorite team's tribulations.

* * *

"Now you don't be such a stranger," Linda said two days later as she stood in the foyer of the house in her bathroom and her hair still in the soft curlers she always wore to bed. "I expect a call at least once a week."

"Mama, you know how work is," Jolene said but Linda gave her the patented 'look' and the young woman sighed. "All right, I'll do my best." She was far too tired to argue with her. After Linda hugged Jolene tightly, Brian was next. He too was dressed his old t-shirt, pajama bottoms and open bathrobe. They'd gotten up nearly two hours before they usually did, just to say good bye to her that morning.

"Tell that boy of yours to keep you safe, you hear," Brian whispered as he hugged her tight and Jolene smiled. "I worry about you in that city."

"I will, Dad," she said and Brian kissed her temple before pulling away. Johnny had even gotten up, and he looked like he would have rather been tucked in bed. "You didn't have to get up you know."

"And miss saying good bye to you after you came back home to see me?" Johnny asked. "You better think again, Jo," Johnny said before he hugged her. "Love you, sis." She smiled as she hugged him back.

"Love you too," she said and with a final waive to her family she pulled her suitcase out of the house and headed towards her rental car. She had a long drive and a long flight ahead of her, and as much as it pained her to leave home she wanted nothing more than to be back in the city and back at Don's side.

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A/N: Next chapter, Jolene is finally back in New York. Again, thanks for being so patient and I hope to have the next chapter up by the weekend.


	18. Chapter 18

Hey everyone. Sorry it took me so long to update, but I was in a car accident last Friday (the 23rd) and my week has been less than the best with trying to get my car fixed and dealing with my insurance company. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt, but I was left without much ambition to do anything. Now that my car is in the shop and things are somewhat back to normal I feel like myself again and I am back to writing. Next update should come on Saturday, barring any other major incident. Thanks for your patience, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 18

Jolene sighed as she lugged her suitcase off the carousel and looked around trying to see if she could spot Don anywhere. She'd tried to call him, but she hadn't gotten answer and he hadn't responded to her text either. In truth she was a little annoyed, but she knew that he was probably busy so she wouldn't hold it against him. She was adjusting her carry on and heading towards the exit, when a hand suddenly grabbed her upper left arm and turned her rather quickly. She gasped in surprise as she looked up and into the familiar blue eyes that she hadn't looked into for a week.

"Damn you move fast," he said with a grin and Jolene laughed before she let go of her suitcase, dropped her carry on and through her arms around his shoulders.

"I was in a hurry because you weren't answering your phone and I wanted to get to your place so I could drop of my stuff before heading to the prescient," she said and he chuckled before he lifted her from the ground and spun around in a quick motion. She laughed again when he sat her back down on the ground in the same spot he had lifted her from and placed a kiss upon her lips. "You miss me or something?" she asked when they pulled apart and Don smiled as he held her face in his hands.

"Maybe just a little bit," he said before he kissed her chastely once more. "I traded shifts with Lawrence to get today off, so, I'll be going in on Tuesday instead of today."

"So we have the rest of the day to ourselves?" she asked with a smile and Don nodded, a smirk on his face as he watched Jolene's face heat with a blush and a smile spread across her face. It was like an indescribable weight had been lifted from her chest the moment her eyes met his, and she wanted to be as close to him as she possibly could be. "Well, what are we still doing here?" Jolene asked with a raised eyebrow as she pulled out his arms and gathered her things. "Let's go." Don laughed again as he reached out and took her carry on and suitcase from her before lacing the fingers of his right hand with those of her left and the duo made their way out of the airport a little pep in their steps.

* * *

The moment they walked into his apartment and after Don sat her things down not far from the door, it was much like the day she had gotten the brace off at the doctor's office. Jolene found herself pressed against the wood of his apartment door as he kissed her and locked it tightly behind her. Jolene laughed lightly against his lips as she pushed him away and slipped out his grip before running from him and into the bedroom, slipping out of the flip flops on her feet as she did so.

Don laughed as he watched Jolene race into his room, pulling her hair out of the ponytail it was in as she did so. After taking a deep breath to compose himself, he pushed his hand off the door and slowly made his way over to his bedroom only to stop in the doorframe. He must have taken longer than he thought because standing at the end of his bed, with her hands resting on the metal footboard and a coy smile on her face, stood Jolene wearing only her bra and underwear and her clothes discarded on the floor next to her.

"I thought I was going to have to start without you," she said and he grinned after mentally shaking himself out of the stupor he was in before closing the distance between them. He settled his hands on her upper waist and ran his thumbs along the edge of her bra as he looked down at her.

"You could have," he said. "I wouldn't have mind watching before I joined in." Jolene felt her face heat at his words, but she smiled all the same.

"Maybe that's something we can try another time," she said her hands moving from his elbows to the belt of his jeans. "Right now, I want to get to those plans I talked to you about earlier this week." Don lowered his hands from her body and cleared his throat as her hands tugged at his belt and pulled it from his waist before she tossed it to the side.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked roughly as she slipped her hands under the hem of his t-shirt. She pushed the cotton material up and he helped her remove the covering fabric. As he tossed it so it hung over the footboard she slid her hands down his chest and to the button of his jeans as she closed the already small distance between them.

"Do you really have to ask that question, Don?" she asked in a whisper as she unbuttoned his jeans and looked up at him. She was happy to see his Adam's apple bob in his throat as her fingers graze his lower abdomen. "Since we have the next eighteen hours to ourselves with no possible interruption given that neither of us is on call, I only want to leave that bed when it is absolutely necessary."

She started to slip her right hand into the waist of his jeans, but he stopped her by gently grabbing her wrist. She looked at him curiously, but he only smiled as he pulled her hand away before he scooped her up into his arms. Jolene gasped quietly at the feel of his heated skin against hers, but she put her arms around her neck while he held her in his arms. They simply looked at each other for several silent seconds before he walked around the corner of the bed and laid her down on the bed before he removed his shoes and freed his body of his jeans, leaving him only clad in his boxers as he covered her body with his.

"You're not on shift at the lab tomorrow until one," Don said, his hands supporting his weight above her on either side of her head, "I'm not on shift until noon, and it's not even eleven yet. We've got twenty-four hours, Jo, and unless we want to try something a little different, I'm not letting you out of this bed."

Jolene felt her heart rate quicken as her lower stomach tightened. The look in his eyes made it very clear that those were his exact intensions, and she had no problem with the idea. She raised her head up from the pillow behind her head and captured his lips with hers as she brought her hands to his face. Don's right hand left the bed and settled her on her hip as their kiss deepened. They had a lot of time apart to make up for, and they weren't going to waste one more second.

* * *

As the sun set and darkness filled Don's bedroom, Jolene sighed contentedly as she laid her head on his chest. Don chuckled and kissed the top of her head, which made Jolene laugh lightly and turn her head so her chin rested on his chest and she looked up at his face. The smile on his face was a lazy smile and he raised his left hand to her face, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"You know, this was a great way to welcome me home," she said and he laughed.

"Can't say I disagree with you there," he said and she smiled before she leaned forward and placed a kiss on his chin. He brought his hand to her face and pulled her lips to his and kissed her soundly. She laughed lightly as she pulled back from him.

"How about we sleep a bit before the next go around?" she asked and Don sighed as though he was frustrated, but the smile that was quick to his face let her know that he wasn't.

"Probably a good idea, but I'm setting the alarm," he said and Jolene laughed as he gently moved her aside so he could do just as he said and set his alarm clock. He settled her back in his arms once he finished setting the alarm and she put her head back on his chest.

"So, how long do we have to sleep?" she asked and he chuckled.

"Four hours," he said and she laughed before she closed her eyes and Don wrapped his right arm around her shoulders and put his hand on her bare shoulder.

"We better get to sleep then," she said softly and he smiled before he kissed the top of her head once more. He too closed his eyes as he let Jolene's soft breaths slowly lull him to sleep.

* * *

Two weeks later, Jolene climbed out of the SUV with Sheldon and Mac at the beach where a crowd had gathered and where Don was waiting for them. He gestured the three over and they quickly walked over with their kits in hand. Once they reached him, they headed under the crime scene tape and towards the body he called about.

"A shark washed up on Rockaway last year," Don said, "no one figured out why. This one brought a little company with him."

"You got an ID on the vic?" Mac asked as they drew closer and Jolene slipped a bit in the sand and cursed herself for wearing flats that day instead of her loafers.

"Nothing on the body," Don said. "We're canvassing locals, and I put a call into missing persons."

"Who found them?" Sheldon asked and Jolene winced at the smell of the shark. Human decomp was bad and she could handle it, but there was something about the smell of decaying fish that just made her sick to her stomach.

"The Abercrombie twins over there," he gestured to a young man and woman sitting on a boulder talking to an officer. Sheldon put down his kit and kneeled next to the female victim, lifting up her handless right arm.

"Looks like her hand was the appetizer," he said.

"So, she's a shark attack victim," Jolene said and Don and Mac looked at her. "Wouldn't this be a job for the coast guard and not us?" she asked looking between the two men.

"That's what I thought 'til I noticed the neck," Don said as he held her gaze and Sheldon stood and changed his position next to the body. "Take a real good look, Doc," Don said as he turned his attention to the former medical examiner. Sheldon looked closely and gestured with the pinky finger of his right hand along the victim's neck.

"Strangulation marks," Sheldon said before he checked her eyes, "petechial hemorrhaging in the eyes." Jolene raised an eyebrow as she looked at Don and Mac shifted his stance in the sand.

"So what kind of shark strangles his meal before he takes a bite?" Don asked with his somewhat smartass tone that Jolene had come to love but that had initially drove her insane. Mac simply looked down at the victim, seemingly thinking things over.

"Not bad for a lowly homicide detective, Don," Jolene said, which earned her a held back laugh from Sheldon that sounded more like a scoff, a half smile from Mac, and a mock glare from the man in question.

"Jo," Mac said and Jolene turned her attention to her boss. "Stella's just arrived," he continued gesturing behind her. "So, you and I will take the shark while Sheldon and Stella work the body." Jolene mentally grimaced but nodded her head. After greeting Stella she moved over to the shark with Mac, and she really hadn't the slightest clue what he wanted her to do. As he kneeled down to look at the rust colored head of the shark, Jolene felt even more nauseas and took a deep breath through her mouth to try and calm the feeling.

"Rust colored spots," a woman said suddenly as she walked up to the pair and Jolene turned her attention to a rather pretty red headed lady holding a portable computer in her right arm. "Carcharias Taurus: sand tiger shark. Went on a cage dive in the Bahamas saw one up close and very alive."

"What are you doing here, Quinn?" Mac asked from his crouched position. Obviously Mac knew the woman so that made Jolene feel a little more comfortable. "The Jersey Crime Lab to boring for you?" he asked and Jolene raised an eyebrow at her boss that went unnoticed.

"I'm still a criminalist there, but every other month I inspect labs for the forensics board," the woman said. "It's been five years since yours has bee reaccredited."

"Our review isn't scheduled for another couple of weeks," Mac said.

"Everything moved up. The board wants things done ASAP so for the next couple of days I'll be monitoring protocol and evaluating your team's techniques; then I'll file a report," the woman said. "Don't worry, Mac, I'll stay out of the way and quietly observe." Mac laughed at that and the woman and Jolene looked at him curiously. Jolene didn't think it was a particularly laughing matter. She hated when the inspectors came in for reviews. It always made her feel like she would screw something up.

"What's so funny?" the red head asked.

"I've never known you to do anything quietly," Mac said, "and staying out of the way is not your style." The woman smiled and nodded while Jolene cleared her throat. Mac looked at her and smiled while the woman looked at her as though she just realized she was standing there. "Detective Jolene James, this is Quinn Shelby of the New Jersey Crime Lab," Mac said, introducing the two women. Jolene moved her kit to her left hand and held out her right hand for the woman to shake.

"Nice meeting you," Jolene said and Quinn moved her computer to her other arm and shook Jolene's hand.

"Likewise," she said before they let go of each other's hands and Jolene looked to Mac.

"Take the scene photos of the shark, Jo, and then have it moved to the morgue," Mac said. "We'll have to get the missing piece of our vic out of its stomach."

"Please tell me Sid will be doing that," she said, after not being able to contain the disgust from her face, which made Mac chuckle lightly before he walked away with Quinn moving off to the side and Jolene set to work. However, she wasn't alone for long.

"You okay?" came a familiar voice from in front of her after she had taken the first photo of the shark and she lowered her camera to see Don's concerned face. He had his notepad in hand, so, it was obvious he had just gotten done talking to someone and he hadn't put his notepad away yet.

"I'm fine, why?" she asked as her ponytail whipped around the back of her head thanks to the wind.

"You look a little green," he said, but Jolene just smiled at him. Leave it to Don to notice she wasn't feeling one hundred percent.

"Decomp I can handle, but this," she gestured with her hand in a circular motion at the shark, "makes me nauseas." Don laughed lightly and shook his head. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing really," he said. "You're just one strange woman."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," she said and he smiled before winked at her and walked back up the beach. Jolene smiled and shook her head before setting back to work. The sooner she got away from the shark the better, because she really wanted to keep down her breakfast.


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks for reading and I hope you all had a nice week. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with CSI: NY.

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Chapter 19

Another victim had washed up on the beach and the connections to her and the teams' first victim were too similar to be construed as coincidence. Everyone was working as quickly as they could to try and find something that could lead them to the killer, and Stella had assigned Jolene the task of trying to find out where the women could have eaten the chocolate and damiana concoction that they both had shortly before they died. After two hours of analysis and searching, Jolene had a 'eureka' moment and went in search of Mac. She found him standing in the hall outside his office talking to Danny.

"Mac," she said excitedly as she rushed down the hall and her boss and co-worker looked at her.

"What's up, Jo?" Mac asked and Jolene smiled.

"I think I got something," she said as she opened the file in her hands. "The damiana in our vics' stomachs was combined with the most expensive dark chocolate on the market," she continued as she handed the file to Mac.

"Who sells it?" he asked and Jolene shook her head.

"No one," she said and Mac and Danny both gave her questioning looks, which made her smile grow. "It's not on the market yet and only one company makes the combination. They're premiering it tonight at a show in lower Manhattan."

"I want you, Stella, and Flack to go there tonight," Mac said. "Find us some answers."

"You got it, Mac," she said before she took the file from him and went in search of her fellow CSI.

* * *

"This is every hormonal woman's dream," Jolene said as they walked past the tables and tables of various chocolates, earning a laugh from Stella and a look from Don, who decided it was best to ignore her comment.

"It's freezing in here," Don said and Jolene rolled her eyes and Stella laughed lightly again.

"Chocolate melts at blood temperature," Stella said. "The cold keeps their clothes on," she finished as they came to a stop to watch the women walk the runway.

"Very good to know," Don said as he glanced at Jolene.

"Don't let that give you any ideas, Donald," she said softly when she caught him looking at her in her peripheral vision and he smirked before he too returned his eyes to the women walking along the raised platform.

"So, I hear you guys have an inspector in house," Don said.

"Yeah, I think at some point she worked with Mac. They were both up for his job," Stella said and Jolene laughed lightly.

"I'm pretty sure they worked together if their banter at the beach when our first vic washed up was any indication," Jolene supplied as she tilted her head in wonder at why someone would want to make clothing out of chocolate.

"He doesn't mind her looking over his shoulder?" Don asked as he looked between the two women.

"Actually, it's weird," Stella said, drawing Jolene's attention to her, "he seems to be fine with it."

"She pretty? This inspector?" Don asked quickly and Jolene's eyes went to him as he looked at Stella, who rolled her eyes and Jolene nudged his arm as he smirked and looked down at her. "I'm just saying," he said with a slight shrug. Jolene shook her head and rolled her eyes before she crossed her arms over her chest and looked back at the stage.

"And now for the ultimate in chocolate here's Damiana," the announcer said and Jolene's eyes went to the African American woman walking down the runway.

"That would be what we're looking for right?" Jolene asked and Stella nodded.

"Yeah, that's our girl," Stella said and the trio quickly made their way to the end of the runway. Stella was leading and Jolene was taking up the rear.

"Hey Project Runway," Don said and the woman looked at him. "Who did your dress?" he asked and the woman's eyes flickered to Jolene and Stella who looked up at her expectantly.

"Charles Kohl," the woman said before she pointed towards a table with a man and several rather beautiful women and one man surrounding him. They thanked her and headed towards the man.

"People were having sex on the couch, on the floor, in the kitchen. It was a revelation," the man was saying as he fed one of the women a piece of chocolate.

"Charles Kohl?" Don asked and the man slowly turned around. He smiled at Stella who was standing between Don and Jolene before his eyes settled on Jolene. He pushed off from the table and drew closer to her, holding out a box of chocolate.

"Do you care to blow your mind?" he asked her seductively and she raised an eyebrow before she noticed Don tense where he stood. However, Jolene didn't need to say anything, Stella took care of the matter for her.

"Care to blow yours?" she asked holding up the morgue photos of their victims. The man's face fell and he slowly lowered the box in front of him.

"You recognize either of those women, Mr. Kohl?" Don asked, his voice tight.

"Never seen them before," he said far too quickly as he looked away from the photos and at Don.

"You sure about that?" Don asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the man responded quickly once more.

"That's funny," Stella said and the man looked at her. "The one thing these two ladies have in common is that their last meal was your damiana chocolate."

"And since it's not on the market yet, we were wondering how they got it," Don said, glaring slightly at the man.

"Look around," Charles said. "I have dozens of employees and they all work here at the factory. They all had access to samples."

"We'll need a list," Jolene said and Charles turned his eyes to her.

"And you'll need a warrant," he said with a smile that just rubbed her the wrong way. "You sure you don't want a sample?" he asked as he held the box of chocolate out to Jolene.

"Thanks, but no thanks," she said before she turned around and started walking away with Don and Stella following close behind. Somehow Jolene ended up walking between the two of them and she felt Don put his right hand on her back as they walked.

"Chocolate factory aside, Charlie's lying," Don said knowingly.

"Yeah, like any good designer I'm sure he gave a few previews," Stella said. "Why don't you run him through the system and see if he has any priors?" Don nodded as he lowered his hand from Jolene's back and grabbed a piece of chocolate from the table they passed. "Does it blow your mind?" Stella asked jokingly and Jolene laughed as Don looked at Stella with a shrug.

"I have a feeling when you run him, you're going to find something on that guy," Jolene said to Don once they were outside and heading towards his sedan.

"What makes you say that?" Stella asked.

"He just gives off that creepy vibe," Jolene said. "The way he was trying to be seductive with the chocolate was just odd. I mean, I love chocolate as much as the next girl, but I'm not going to count on it to get me going, if you know what I mean." Stella smiled and spared a glance at Don before she climbed into the backseat of the car, laughing quietly to herself. Jolene blushed as she realized what she said and looked at Don, who was grinning as he stood on the other side of the car. "Shut up," she said as she opened the front passenger door.

"I didn't say anything," Don said and Jolene scoffed.

"You don't have to," Jolene said as she climbed in and as Don's laughter echoed outside before he too climbed in and the trio were on their way back to the lab.

* * *

"Come on, Jo, don't be like this," Don said as he followed Jolene into her apartment. She looked at him as he closed the door behind him.

"I can't believe I said that in front of Stella, and you were no help," Jolene said as she put her bag and keys down on the dining room table.

"Stella knows we're seeing each other, Jo, and it's not like we were making out in the middle of the squad room," Don said. "Besides, Stella took what you said and ran with it. I didn't say anything." He walked over to her and gently took her face into his hands. "You're making a big deal out of nothing, and Stella won't think any different of you." Jolene looked up at him and into his soft blue eyes. She found it really hard to stay mad at him, and he was right.

"Fine, but we've got to learn to be a little more careful," she said. "I don't want our relationship to transfer over into work. Work is work and when we're here or at your place and we're like this," she paused as she put her hands on his waist and his hands moved to her shoulders, "I want this to be special."

"It is special, Jo," he said, "but you'll get no promise from me about not checking you out on a scene. You're always bending over something or squatting, it's kind of hard not to look." Jolene laughed before she smacked his side and Don grinned before he leaned down and kissed her. She sighed softly against his lips before she pulled back slightly.

"Let's move in together," she said as she looked up at him and he let out a light laugh.

"What?" he asked, but her face remained serious and his smile slid from his face. "You're serious," he said and she nodded.

"We're always staying that night together anymore, and I figure one of us could sublet our apartment to Stella. She's still looking for a place, and we'd be helping her out," she reasoned.

"You've thought this through?" he asked and she blushed lightly as she bit her lower lip before she nodded.

"What do you say?" she asked. She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him expectantly. "Do you want to take that next step with me?"

"Jo, you know I want to take all the next steps with you," Don said, his hands going back to her face and she smiled.

"So, the question is who moves in with whom?" she asked.

"My place is closer to work," he said.

"But my place is bigger and no offense, but my stuff is nicer," she said and he smiled before he pulled her in for a chaste kiss.

"I'm going to guess you want me to move in here with you," he said as his lips hovered over hers and their gazes held.

"Yeah," she breathed and he smiled.

"All right," he said and she laughed lightly before she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck to pull his lips down to hers and kissed him chastely.

"I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, Jo," he said back before he kissed her once more and for a few hours the couple put the weight of the last two days behind them and enjoyed each other because tomorrow was another day in their attempts to stop a serial killer.

* * *

"Why do you smell like cocoa powder?" Jolene asked Stella the following day as she ran into the other woman as she was heading into trace.

"Kohl decided he wanted to run when Don and I went to bring him in for questioning this morning at his factory," Stella said and Jolene raised an eyebrow.

"You two okay?" Jolene asked and Stella laughed.

"Other than Don complaining about what his dry cleaning bill is going to be, yeah, we're both fine," Stella said and Jolene smiled. "Where you headed?"

"To check in with Lindsey about the piece of gravestone she found," Jolene said. "She was running it through to try and ID the other trace on the stone." Stella nodded and Jolene decided that it was as good a time as any to bring up her and Don's discussion from the night before. "Hey, Stel, are you still looking for a place?" Jolene asked and Stella nodded.

"Yeah, why?" Stella asked and Jolene glanced around them before lowering her tone to speak.

"Don is going to be moving into my place, and we were wondering if you wanted to sub-let his apartment?" Jolene asked and Stella's dark eyebrows rose practically to her hairline.

"Wow, um, Jo, that was unexpected," Stella said with a light laugh and Jolene joined her.

"I know," Jolene said. "There's no pressure or anything," she said gesturing with her hands. "I just wanted to give you the offer. If you want to, you and Don can iron out the details." Stella gave the younger woman in front of her a smile before she reached out and put a hand on Jolene's shoulder. Never in all the time that she had known Don did she think he would ever settle down enough to actually have the type of relationship he had with Jolene, and he knew the change in the homicide detective was thanks in part to the southern spitfire in front of her.

"Thank you, Jo," she said as she lowered her hand. "I'll talk to Don." Jolene smiled and nodded her head.

"Good," Jolene said. "I've been worried about you at that hotel." Stella laughed as the two started towards trace only to run into Sheldon as he rushed from the room.

"We got a lead on the gravestone," Sheldon said. "It came from the graveyard in St. Angelo's church."

"Isn't that the church that was near ground zero and a fallen tree protected the church from the falling debris?" Jolene asked with a slight frown and the detective and former ME around her gave her curious looks.

"Where were you ten minutes ago? It would have saved us a search," Sheldon said with a smile and Jolene shrugged.

"Ten minutes ago, I was probably in the elevator," Jolene said and Sheldon scoffed while Stella smirked.

"Don is rubbing off on you," Stella said quietly, making Jolene blush. "Get Mac and we'll head out there," Stella said to Sheldon, who nodded and quickly went down the corridor.

"He is not," Jolene defended herself as the two women headed towards the elevators, "I've always been a smartass."

"Yeah, well, now it's more noticeable," Stella said, which made Jolene smile.


End file.
